ABSTRACT
Grenville's initial role in the Commons was to be obedient division fodder, but over the next two decades he displayed talents in the House and office beyond this servile function. It took George and Bute some time to realize the fact and by then Grenville had established himself as a fine leader in the Commons. The nation was reeling under a vast debt in 1763, and it fell to Grenville's government to provide relief. It proved profitable, for in February 1764 the opposition came close to defeating the government in a division on the illegality of general warrants. Grenville’s role in the business has been generally misunderstood. He did not disagree with the opposition that ministers should be forbidden use of general warrants but believed that it was a matter for the courts, not parliament, to settle. Grenville’s effective cabinet had all the hallmarks of a modern inner cabinet handling policy and priorities of the state.
