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===Perpetual or hereditary pensions===
Perpetual pensions were freely granted either to favourites or as a reward for political services from the time of [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] onwards. Such pensions were very frequently attached as salaries to places which were sinecures, or, just as often, resulted in grossly overpaid posts which were really
Prior to the reign of [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]], such pensions and annuities were charged on the hereditary revenues of the sovereign and were held to be binding on the sovereign's successors.<ref>The Bankers Case, 1691; State Trials, xiv. 3–43</ref> By the [[Taxation, etc. Act 1702]] (I Anne c. 7) it was provided that no portion of the hereditary revenues could be charged with pensions beyond the life of the reigning sovereign. This act did not affect the hereditary revenues of Ireland and Scotland, and many persons were quartered, as they had been before the act, on the Irish and Scottish revenues who could not be provided for in England for example, the [[Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans|Duke of St Albans]], [[illegitimate]] son of Charles II, had an Irish pension of £800 a year ({{Inflation|UK|800|1684|fmt=eq|r=0|cursign=£}}); [[Catherine Sedley, Countess of Dorchester|Catherine Sedley]], mistress of [[James II of England|James II]], had an Irish pension of £5,000 a year; the [[Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal|Duchess of Kendall]] and the [[Sophia von Kielmansegg, Countess of Leinster and Darlington|Countess of Darlington]], respectively mistress and half-sister of [[George I of Great Britain|George I]], had pensions of the united annual value of £5,000 ({{Inflation|UK|3000|1722|fmt=eq|r=0|cursign=£}}), while [[Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth|Madame de Wallmoden]], a mistress of [[George II of Great Britain|George II]], had a pension of £3,000 ({{Inflation|UK|3000|1740|fmt=eq|r=0|cursign=£}}).<ref>{{cite book |last=Lecky |first=William Edward Hartpole |title=A History of Ireland in the Eighteenth Century |date=1892}}</ref>
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