George Osbaldeston
Encyclopedia
"Squire" George Osbaldeston (26 December 1786 in Westminster
, London
– 1 August 1866 in St John's Wood
, London) was an English sportsman and politician.
Osbaldeston spent his childhood at Hutton Buscel
, the family estate in Yorkshire
. His father (also called George Osbaldeston, an MP for Scarborough) died when he was six, so he and his three sisters were brought up by his mother, Jane, 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. For example, in 1831 he won an endurance horse race (200 miles in ten hours) for a prize of 1,000 guineas
. The money he made from these sorts of wins were overshadowed by the gambling debts of around £200,000 which eventually forced him to sell his house and led to his dying almost penniless.
from 1802 until 1803, when he was expelled. Thereafter he studied at Brighton (1803–04), where his behaviour was little improved. He matriculated at Brasenose College, Oxford
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.
local militia.
In 1812, under pressure from his mother and the local aristocrat and Whig power-broker Earl FitzWilliam
, Osbaldeston stood as a Whig parliamentary candidate for East Retford
. 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."
At the next election, 1816, he resigned. In 1829 he was made High Sheriff of Yorkshire
.
He was particularly famous for his racing abilities, in flat, steeplechase
, 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
riding Clinker, a horse owned by Horatio Ross
. On one occasion, in 1831 at Newmarket, he rode 200 miles 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
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
for a false start. His last race was at the age of 69, and he also bred racehorses.
In cricket, he was a fine all-rounder who batted and bowled right-handed, his bowling style being fast underarm. An outstanding single wicket
player, he was chiefly associated with Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC) but he also represented Surrey
, Sussex and Hampshire
. 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
. He had his own pack of hounds from the age of 16, and was later master of nine hunts, notably the Atherstone
(1815–17), the Quorn
(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.
His relationship with his mother, Jane, was ambivalent. In his autobiography he claims that: "a cleverer woman never existed, not a better mother." 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
. 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 major cricket. He also fought a duel with Lord George Bentinck
, 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 Horatio Ross
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."
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
– 1 August 1866 in St John's Wood
St John's Wood
St John's Wood is a district of north-west London, England, in the City of Westminster, and at the north-west end of Regent's Park. It is approximately 2.5 miles north-west of Charing Cross. Once part of the Great Middlesex Forest, it was later owned by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem...
, London) was an English sportsman and politician.
Osbaldeston spent his childhood at Hutton Buscel
Hutton Buscel
Hutton Buscel is a village and civil parish in the Scarboroughdistrict of North Yorkshire, England.According to the 2001 UK census, Hutton Buscel parish had a population of 314.The parish church of St Matthew is a Grade I listed building....
, the family estate in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. His father (also called George Osbaldeston, an MP for Scarborough) died when he was six, so he and his three sisters were brought up by his mother, Jane, 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. For example, in 1831 he won an endurance horse race (200 miles in ten hours) for a prize of 1,000 guineas
Guinea (British coin)
The guinea is a coin that was minted in the Kingdom of England and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom between 1663 and 1813...
. The money he made from these sorts of wins were overshadowed by the gambling debts of around £200,000 which eventually forced him to sell his house and led to his dying almost penniless.
Education
He was educated at EtonEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
from 1802 until 1803, when he was expelled. Thereafter he studied at Brighton (1803–04), where his behaviour was little improved. He matriculated at Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, originally Brazen Nose College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. As of 2006, it has an estimated financial endowment of £98m...
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 regiment North RidingNorth Riding of Yorkshire
The North Riding of Yorkshire was one of the three historic subdivisions of the English county of Yorkshire, alongside the East and West Ridings. From the Restoration it was used as a Lieutenancy area. The three ridings were treated as three counties for many purposes, such as having separate...
local militia.
In 1812, under pressure from his mother and the local aristocrat and Whig power-broker Earl FitzWilliam
Earl FitzWilliam
Earl Fitzwilliam was a title in both the Peerage of Ireland and the Peerage of Great Britain held by the head of the Fitzwilliam family. This family claim descent from William the Conqueror. The Fitzwilliams acquired extensive holdings in South Yorkshire, largely through strategic alliances through...
, Osbaldeston stood as a Whig parliamentary candidate for East Retford
East Retford (UK Parliament constituency)
East Retford was a parliamentary constituency in Nottinghamshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons for the first time in 1316, and continuously from 1571 until 1885, when the constituency was abolished...
. 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."
At the next election, 1816, he resigned. In 1829 he was made High Sheriff of Yorkshire
High Sheriff of Yorkshire
The High Sheriff of Yorkshire was an ancient High Sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. A list of the sheriffs from the Norman conquest onwards can be found below...
.
Sport
It was however sport that was both his passion and the thing for which he is most remembered. He seemingly excelled at all sports. He was a noted shot at the Old Hat and Red House clubs, where he used a gun with a bore of 1½ inches. Sir Richard Sutton recorded that he once shot 98 pheasants with 100 shots. He rowed at his various schools, at Oxford and into middle age.He was particularly famous for his racing abilities, in flat, steeplechase
Steeplechase
Steeplechase may refer to:* Steeplechase, an event in horse racing* SteepleChase, a Danish jazz label* Steeplechase , a 1975 arcade game released by Atari...
, 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
Dick Christian
-Biography:Christian was the son of James and Jane Christian of Cottesmore, Rutland. He was taken on as a groom by Sir Gilbert Heathcote and was subsequently employed by the Cottesmore Hunt, of which Sir Gilbert was Master. In 1809 he set up as a farmer in North Luffenham and in the 1820s he moved...
riding Clinker, a horse owned by Horatio Ross
Horatio Ross
Horatio Ross was a celebrated sportsman and a pioneer amateur photographer.-Background and early life:Ross was born at Rossie Castle, near Montrose, Angus on 5 September 1801, the son of Hercules Ross, a rich landowner who had acquired a substantial fortune in Jamaica...
. On one occasion, in 1831 at Newmarket, he rode 200 miles in 8 hours and 42 minutes, using 28 horses. On another occasion he wagered 100 guineas with Paul Methuen
Paul Methuen, 1st Baron Methuen
Paul Methuen, 1st Baron Methuen , was a British Whig politician.Methuen was the son of Paul Cobb Methuen of Corsham, Wiltshire, and his wife Matilda . He sat as Member of Parliament for Wiltshire from 1812 to 1819 and for Wiltshire North from 1833 to 1837...
that he could drive a stage-coach from St. Paul's
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
churchyard to Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
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
Life Guards (British Army)
The Life Guards is the senior regiment of the British Army and with the Blues and Royals, they make up the Household Cavalry.They originated in the four troops of Horse Guards raised by Charles II around the time of his restoration, plus two troops of Horse Grenadier Guards which were raised some...
and despite being sent back from the bottom of Ludgate Hill
Ludgate Hill
Ludgate Hill is a hill in the City of London, near the old Ludgate, a gate to the City that was taken down, with its attached gaol, in 1780. Ludgate Hill is the site of St Paul's Cathedral, traditionally said to have been the site of a Roman temple of the goddess Diana. It is one of the three...
for a false start. His last race was at the age of 69, and he also bred racehorses.
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
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 who scores more runs...
player, he was chiefly associated with Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
(MCC) but he also represented Surrey
Surrey county cricket teams
Surrey county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. The first definite mention of cricket anywhere in the world is dated c.1550 in Guildford.-17th century:...
, Sussex and Hampshire
Hampshire county cricket teams
Hampshire county cricket teams have been traced back to the 18th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that...
. 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
Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...
. He had his own pack of hounds from the age of 16, and was later master of nine hunts, notably the Atherstone
Atherstone Hunt
The Atherstone Hunt is a United Kingdom fox hunt, with hunting country of around within Warwickshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire.-History:The Atherstone was established in 1815 in Witherley, and known as the Atherstone hounds...
(1815–17), the Quorn
Quorn Hunt
The Quorn Hunt, usually called The Quorn, established 1696, is one of the world's oldest fox hunting packs and claims to be the United Kingdom's most famous hunt...
(1817–21, 1823–27), and the Pytchley
Pytchley Hunt
The Pytchley Hunt is a fox hunting organisation formerly based near the Northamptonshire village of Pytchley, but since 1966 has had kennels close to Brixworth. The Pytchley country used to include areas of the Rockingham Forest but was split to form the Woodland Pytchley Hunt...
(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.
Personal life
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 in order 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." 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
Lord Frederick Beauclerk
Lord Frederick Beauclerk was an outstanding but controversial English first-class cricketer for 35 years from 1791 to 1825. On his retirement, he served as president of Marylebone Cricket Club in 1826.Beauclerk was the fourth son of the 5th Duke of St Albans and became a clergyman. He was Vicar...
. 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 major cricket. He also fought a duel with Lord George Bentinck
Lord George Bentinck
Lord George Frederick Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck , better known as simply Lord George Bentinck, was an English Conservative politician and racehorse owner, best known for his role in unseating Sir Robert Peel over the Corn Laws.Bentinck was a younger son of the 4th Duke of Portland, and elected a...
, 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 Horatio Ross
Horatio Ross
Horatio Ross was a celebrated sportsman and a pioneer amateur photographer.-Background and early life:Ross was born at Rossie Castle, near Montrose, Angus on 5 September 1801, the son of Hercules Ross, a rich landowner who had acquired a substantial fortune in Jamaica...
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."
External sources
- CricInfo profile
- http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/20860?docPos=1&_fromAuth=1
Further reading
- George Osbaldeston/E.D. Cummings, Squire Osbaldeston: His Autobiography, John Lane, London, 1926
- HS AlthamHarry AlthamHarry Surtees Altham, CBE, DSO, MC was an English cricketer who became an important figure in the game as an administrator, historian and coach. His Wisden obituary described him as "among the best known personalities in the world of cricket"...
, A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914), George Allen & Unwin, 1926 - Derek BirleyDerek BirleySir Derek Birley was an English educator and writer who had a strong interest in sport, especially cricket.He was educated at grammar school in Hemsworth, West Yorkshire, and at Queens' College, Cambridge University....
, A Social History of English Cricket, Aurum, 1999 - Rowland BowenRowland BowenMajor Rowland Francis Bowen was a cricket researcher, historian and writer....
, Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development, Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1970 - Arthur HaygarthArthur HaygarthArthur Haygarth was a noted amateur cricketer who became one of cricket's most significant historians....
, Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744–1826), Lillywhite, 1862 - John MajorJohn MajorSir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
, More Than a Game, HarperCollins, 2007