The Secretary of State for the Northern Department was a position in the Cabinet of the government of Great Britain up to 1782.

[1][2] Before the Act of Union, 1707, the Secretary of State's responsibilities were in relation to the English government, not the British.

Before 1782, the responsibilities of the two Secretaries of State for the Northern and the Southern Departments were not divided up in terms of area of authority, but rather geographically.

The Secretary of State for the Northern Department was responsible for relations with the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Poland, Russia, and the Holy Roman Empire.

[6] During the 18th century, Secretaries of State for the Northern Department, if peers, were often Leaders of the House of Lords as well.