George Osbaldeston
| Squire Osbaldeston | |
|---|---|
George Osbaldeston, attributed to Francis Grant, circa 1825–1835
|
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| Member of Parliament for East Retford | |
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In office 1812–1818 |
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| Preceded by | William Ingilby |
| Succeeded by |
William Evans Samuel Crompton |
| High Sheriff of Yorkshire | |
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In office 1829–1830 |
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| Preceded by | Sir Tatton Sykes, 4th Baronet |
| Succeeded by | Edward Robert Petre |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
26 December 1786 Westminster, London |
| Died | 1 August 1866 (aged 79) St John's Wood, London |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Whig |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Williams (m. 1851) |
| Children | George Osbaldeston Green (b. c. 1812) |
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 most impact as a sportsman and cricketer.
He was born 26 December 1786 in Westminster, London, and named for his father, George Osbaldeston, a member of parliament for Scarborough. His father, born George Wickins, inherited the Hutton Buscel estates from his uncle Fountayne Wentworth Osbaldeston and adopted his name. Squire's mother, Jane, was the daughter of Sir Thomas Head of Langley Hall, Berkshire.
Osbaldeston spent his childhood at Hutton Buscel, the family estate in Yorkshire. 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.
He was educated at Eton 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.
From 1809 to 1811 he was lieutenant-colonel of the 5th regiment North Riding local militia.
In 1812, under pressure from his mother and the local aristocrat and Whig power-broker William Fitzwilliam, 4th 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:
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