George Osbaldeston (26 December 1786 – 1 August 1866), best known as Squire Osbaldeston, was an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament but who had his greatest impact as a sportsman and

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is of three or more days scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adju ...

er.

Early life

He was born 26 December 1786 in

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

, London, and named for his father,

George Osbaldeston George Osbaldeston (26 December 1786 – 1 August 1866), best known as Squire Osbaldeston, was an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament but who had his greatest impact as a sportsman and first-class cricketer. Early life He w ...

, a member of parliament for

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. His father, born George Wickins, inherited the

Hutton Buscel Hutton Buscel is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. According to the 2011 UK census, Hutton Buscel parish had a population of 320, an increase from the 2001 UK census figure of 314. From 1974 to 2023 it was ...

estates from his uncle

Fountayne Wentworth Osbaldeston John Fountayne (1714–1802) was a Church of England clergyman and the longest serving Dean of York. Life Fountayne was the younger of two sons of John Fountayne. He was raised at Melton Hall, in High Melton, the family seat which he inherit ...

and adopted his name. Squire's mother, Jane, was the daughter of Sir Thomas Head of

Langley Hall, Berkshire Langley may refer to: People * Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name * Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer * Langley Wakeman Collyer (1885–1947), one ...

. Osbaldeston spent his childhood at

, the family estate in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

. His father died in 1793; from age 6, George and his three sisters were brought up by their mother, who despite being a great political hostess, was wildly extravagant and squandered much of his inheritance. He spent most of his life trying to recover from this poverty, mainly by trying to win bets and sporting competitions.

Education

He was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England *Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States *Éton, a commune in the Meuse depa ...

from 1802 until 1803, when he was expelled.George Osbaldeston/E.D. Cummings, ''Squire Osbaldeston: His Autobiography'', John Lane, London, 1926 Thereafter he studied at Brighton (1803–04), where his behaviour was little improved. He

matriculated Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used now ...

Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The l ...

in 1805. The combination of his absolute avoidance of academic work (even by the standards of the day) and his rowdy behaviour (including incidents such as pouring hot gravy over the head of a fellow student he disliked during hall) meant that he narrowly avoided being sent down. Ultimately, he left Oxford without a degree in 1807. On the other hand, during his student days he excelled in all sports, setting a pattern for the rest of his life.

Politics

From 1809 to 1811 he was lieutenant-colonel of the

5th North York Local Militia The North York Militia, later the North York Rifles, was an auxiliary military force raised in the North Riding of Yorkshire in Northern England. From their formal organisation as Trained Bands in 1558 the Militia regiments of the riding served ...

. In 1812, under pressure from his mother and the local aristocrat and Whig power-broker

William Fitzwilliam, 4th Earl Fitzwilliam William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 4th Earl Fitzwilliam (30 May 1748 – 8 February 1833), styled Viscount Milton until 1756, was a British Whig statesman of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1782 he inherited the estates of his uncle Cha ...

, Osbaldeston stood as a Whig parliamentary candidate for

East Retford East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sunrise, Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact ...

. He won one of the two seats, despite the machinations of his agent, who, claiming he had not been paid his fees, accused his own candidate of electoral malpractice, resulting in a trial. He had little interest in politics, and rarely attended the House. In his autobiography, Osbaldeston wrote that: "There was a general election and my mother, in her political enthusiasm persuaded me to stand. I did so much against my inclination and was returned, but not without paying dearly for the distinguished honour, as it is deemed. I did not consider it an honour at all; I thought it a great bore... I was so entirely engrossed with hunting, shooting and athletic feats that I could not turn my thoughts to politics, and it was only in response to my mother’s entreaties that I attended the House on urgent occasions." At the next election, 1818, he resigned. In 1829 he was made

High Sheriff of Yorkshire The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere o ...

Sport

Osbaldeston excelled at sport, and rowed at his various schools, at Oxford and into middle age. He was particularly famous for his racing abilities, in flat,

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, endurance and carriage races. In 1826, he won a celebrated steeplechase for a purse of 1,000 guineas on his horse, Clasher, against

Dick Christian Richard Christian (1779–1862) was an English horseman. Biography Christian was the son of James and Jane Christian (née Lester) of Cottesmore, Rutland. He was taken on as a groom by Sir Gilbert Heathcote and was subsequently employed by the C ...

riding Clinker, a horse owned by

Horatio Ross Horatio Ross (5 September 1801 – 6 December 1886) was a sportsman and a early photography, pioneer amateur photographer. Background and early life Ross was born at Rossie Castle, near Montrose, Angus on 5 September 1801, the son of Hercules ...

. On one occasion, in 1831 at Newmarket, he rode in 8 hours and 42 minutes, using 28 horses. On another occasion he wagered 100 guineas with Paul Methuen that he could drive a stage-coach from St. Paul's churchyard to

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

in an hour with a full complement of passengers. Osbaldeston won his bet, although the coach was loaded with a number of hefty Life-Guardsmen and despite being sent back from the bottom of

Ludgate Hill Ludgate Hill is a street and surrounding area, on a small hill in the City of London, England. The street passes through the former site of Ludgate, a city gate that was demolished – along with a gaol attached to it – in 1760. Th ...

for a false start. His last race was at the age of 69, and he also bred racehorses. A noted shot at the Old Hat and Red House clubs, Osbaldeston there used a gun with a bore of 1½ inches. Sir Richard Sutton recorded that he once shot 98 pheasants with 100 shots.C. A. Wheeler, ''Sportascrapiana: Facts in Athletics'' (2nd edition), Simpkin, Marshall & Co, London, 1868 He brought his marksmanship to the track; on one occasion, when the notorious gambler

Lord George Bentinck Lord William George Frederick Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck (27 February 180221 September 1848), better known as Lord George Bentinck, was an English Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician and racehorse owner noted for his role (with Benj ...

fired his pistol in the air while watching a race, Osbaldeston responded by shooting Bentinck cleanly through the hat as a warning. In cricket, he was a fine all-rounder who batted and bowled right-handed, his bowling style being fast underarm. An outstanding

Single Wicket Single wicket cricket is a form of cricket played between two individuals, who take turns to bat and bowl against each other. The one bowling is assisted by a team of fielders, who remain as fielders at the change of innings. The winner is the one w ...

player, he was chiefly associated with

Marylebone Cricket Club The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's, Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London, England. The club was the governing body of cricket from 1788 to 1989 and retain ...

(MCC) but he also represented

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

and

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

. He played 34 important matches between 1808 and 1830 as an amateur. His highest score was 112 for M.C.C. v Middlesex in 1816, where Osbaldeston also scored 68 in the second innings. His record in important matches was 1002 runs at 18.21, 2 centuries, 43 wickets, 15 catches and 2 stumpings. Above all though, his passion was

fox hunting Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, normally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of hounds" ...

. He had his own pack of hounds from the age of 16, and was later master of nine hunts, notably the

Atherstone Atherstone is a market town and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. Located in the far north of the county, Atherstone is on the A5 national route, and is adjacent to the border with Leicestershire which ...

(1815–17), the

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(1817–21, 1823–27), and the Pytchley (1827–34). He was regarded by contemporaries as one of the best sportsmen of his generation, and became something of a folk hero in later hunting circles. An anecdote demonstrates the passion with which he pursued "the hunt":

"Just when, in 1809, the 24 year old fourth Lord Monson was warming to the task of keeping his pack of foxhounds amongst the best blood in the country, nature accounted for him. The gentlemen of Lincolnshire cast around for a new master and up turned one of those adventurous amateurs whose exploits with hounds and the ladies either break or make a hunt. George Osbaldeston was 25 and he soon fell out with everyone except the foxes which he pursued with great noise, energy, boastfulness, courage and determination, to the far corners of the country."

Personal life

Grave of George Osbaldeston in Highgate Cemetery

The money he made from racing wins were overshadowed by gambling debts of around £200,000 (), which eventually forced him to sell his lands in 1848 and led to his dying almost penniless. His will states that he left effects to the value of under £100. He was also known for his romantic escapades, such as attempting to seduce a friend of his mother's, Lady Monson (an unrequited love affair, despite his claims that she was the one woman he had really loved), staying at the house of a friend and seducing both his daughters on the same night, and leaving a ball for two hours to pick flowers from his garden for a lady there. He was rumoured to have a son by a Miss Green, a prostitute, whom he sent abroad. He finally married an Elizabeth Williams in 1851 at the age of 65, most likely as he was then able to live in her Regent's Park house. His relationship with his mother, Jane, was ambivalent. In his autobiography he claims that: "a cleverer woman never existed, not a better mother."G. Osbaldeston/E.D. Cummings, ''Squire Osbaldeston: His Autobiography'', p. 1 By all accounts Jane doted on her only son. On the other hand, he resented her extravagance, her misuse of his inheritance, and her attempts to force him to pursue a political career. Ultimately, he exiled her to a house in London which he had bought. He had a great rivalry with his fellow cricketer

Lord Frederick Beauclerk The Reverend Lord Frederick de Vere Beauclerk (8 May 1773 – 22 April 1850), a 19th-century Anglican priest, was an outstanding but controversial English first-class cricketer, the leading "amateur" player of the Napoleonic period. Lord Frederi ...

. In 1818 this resulted in Osbaldeston being barred for life from membership of MCC (after an intemperate resignation in disgust at the outcome of a single-wicket match and despite the attempted intercession of E. H. Budd); this event effectively finished Osbaldeston's career in important cricket. He also fought a duel with

, in the aftermath of a race of 1831, the outcome of which was disputed. Neither was hurt and they were later reconciled. Of his brilliant beginning and impoverished end, his great friend and rival

commented, "He was open-hearted and trusted others; he was constantly deceived and robbed, and when his affairs were getting into confusion, he had not the moral nerve to pull up in time; nor had he a sufficiently business-head on his shoulders to guide him safely out of his troubles." He died on 1 August 1866 in

St John's Wood St John's Wood is a district in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden and the City of Westminster, London, England, about 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Historically the northern part of the Civil Parish#An ...

, London and was buried in the Williams family grave on the west side of

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in North London, England, designed by architect Stephen Geary. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East sides. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for so ...

(plot no.11014).

Descendants

In about 1812, Miss Ann Green of Lincoln (born about 1786) bore him a son, named George Osbaldeston Green. Mother and son were sent to Tasmania. George Green married a woman named Mary Ann Heastwood (b. Yorkshire 1819). Eventually George Osbaldeston Green and Mary Ann moved to the Gippsland area of Victoria. George was a butcher. They had 16 children, many of whom died in infancy or childhood; nevertheless ‘The Squire’ spawned quite a group of grandchildren. Their many descendants live mainly in Australia today. George Osbaldeston Green died in 1887 in Maffra, Victoria, and his wife Mary Ann died in 1908 in Heyfield, in the Gippsland region of Victoria. Family historians report that Mary Ann Green was well-travelled and made some journeys to England, so whether there was contact maintained between "The Squire" and his Australian family is subject to speculation. Certainly their existence was known about, and recorded in Osbaldeston's autobiography. Miss Green was described in George Osbaldeston's Autobiography as' a member of the frail sisterhood' (i.e., a prostitute). She was reputedly a natural (

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

) daughter of one of the Monson family. The boy was "sent abroad, has done well in the world, and is married with a family.". No record of either the birth or death of Miss Green has been found.

Children of George Osbaldeston Green and Mary Ann Heastwood: The Squire's grandchildren

*Mary Ann, born 1836 in Hobart Town, died 1926 in Sale, Victoria, married Robert Geddes *George, born 1838 in Hobart Town, died 1868 in Gippsland, Victoria, married Dorothea Lenz of Germany *Henry, born and died in 1840 in Hobart Town *William George, born 1841 in Hobart Town, died 1864 in Hobart *Charles Henry, born 1843 in Hobart Town, died 1932 in Heyfield Victoria, married Emily Ann Bennett *Agnes Esther, born 1845 in Hobart Town, died 1938 in Moonee Ponds, Victoria, married Michael Campbell *James, born 1846 in Hobart Town, died 1928 in Sale, Victoria *Henrietta, born 1848 in Hobart Town, died 1917 in Glenmaggie, Victoria *Emily Edith, born 1851 in Sale, Victoria, died 1866 *Martha Alice, born 1854, died 1866 *Amelia Jane, born 1856, died 1863 *Sophia Louisa, born 1858 in Sale, Victoria died 1860 *Anna Louisa, born 1859 in Sale, Victoria, died 1861 in Sale *Frances Ada, born 1861 in Sale Victoria, died 1940 in Bairnsdale, Victoria married Charles John Marshall *Laura Matilda, born 1863 in Sale Victoria, died 1949 in Warragul Victoria, married Thomas Collins *Edward, born and died in 1866

References

External sources

ESPNCricInfo Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Osbaldeston, George 1786 births 1866 deaths Burials at Highgate Cemetery People educated at Eton College Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford North York Militia officers People from the Borough of Scarborough English cricketers of 1787 to 1825 English cricketers of 1826 to 1863 English hunters Hampshire cricketers High sheriffs of Yorkshire Masters of foxhounds in England Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Surrey cricketers Sussex cricketers UK MPs 1812–1818 Old Etonians cricketers Non-international England cricketers E. H. Budd's XI cricketers William Ward's XI cricketers George Osbaldeston's XI cricketers Military personnel from Westminster 19th-century British Army personnel