Sir Edward Astley, 4th Baronet (baptised 26 December 1729 – 27 March 1802) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

from 1768 to 1790.

Early life and career

He was the oldest son of Sir Jacob Astley, 3rd Baronet and his second wife Lucy le Strange, youngest daughter of Sir Nicholas le Strange, 4th Baronet. He was admitted to

Pembroke College, Cambridge Pembroke College (officially "The Master, Fellows and Scholars of the College or Hall of Valence-Mary") is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college is the third-oldest college of the university and has over 700 ...

in 1747. In 1760, Astley succeeded his father as

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

. He was appointed

High Sheriff of Norfolk The high sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown and is appointed annually (in March) by the Crown. The High Sheriff of Norfolk was originally the principal law enforcement officer in Norfolk and presided at the assizes and other imp ...

for 1763–64 and in 1768 stood successfully as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) for

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, the same constituency his great-grandfather

Sir Jacob Astley, 1st Baronet Sir Jacob Astley, 1st Baronet (ca. 163917 August 1729) of Melton Constable Hall, Norfolk was an England, English Tory politician and baronet. Background He was the oldest son of Edward Astley and his wife Elizabeth Astley, daughter of his uncle ...

had represented, too. Astley held this seat unopposed until the 1790 general election when he retired. He was a supporter of parliamentary reform. Astley had a younger brother, John Astley (born 1735), who was Rector of several Norfolk parishes.

John Archibald Venn John Archibald Venn (10 November 1883 – 15 March 1958) was a British economist. He was President of Queens' College, Cambridge, from 1932 until his death, Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University 1941–1943, university archivist, and a ...

, ''

Alumni Cantabrigienses ''Alumni Cantabrigienses: A Biographical List of All Known Students, Graduates and Holders of Office at the University of Cambridge, from the Earliest Times to 1900'' is a biographical register of former members of the University of Cambridge whic ...

: Part II. 1752–1900'', Vol. I (1940)
p. 88
/ref>

Marriage and children

Astley married firstly

Rhoda Delaval Rhoda Delaval Astley (1 July 1725 – 1757) was an English aristocrat and artist. She was married to Edward Astley, with whom she had a daughter and three sons. Lady Astley studied painting with Arthur Pond, who painted her portrait. Seaton De ...

, oldest daughter of Francis Blake Delaval in 1751. Rhoda died in childbirth in 1757 and Astley married secondly Anne Milles, youngest daughter of Christopher Milles, at

St Margaret's Church, Westminster The Church of St Margaret, Westminster Abbey, is in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, London, England. It is dedicated to Margaret of Antioch, and forms part of a single World Heritage Site with the Palace of Westminster a ...

two years later. She died in 1792, and he married lastly Elizabeth Bullen in the following year. Astley had three sons and a daughter by his first wife and five sons and two daughters by his second wife. On his death in 1802 Astley was succeeded in the

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

by his third but oldest surviving son

Sir Jacob Astley, 5th Baronet Lieutenant-colonel Sir Jacob Henry Astley, 5th Baronet (12 September 1756 – 28 April 1817) was an English landowner and Member of Parliament. Life He was the third son of Sir Edward Astley, 4th Baronet of Melton Constable and Rhoda Delaval, ...

, who at this time sat also for Norfolk in the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Astley, Sir Edward, 4th Baronet 1729 births 1802 deaths People from North Norfolk (district) Alumni of Pembroke College, Oxford Baronets in the Baronetage of England Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Norfolk British MPs 1768–1774 British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784 British MPs 1784–1790 High Sheriffs of Norfolk