George Onslow, 1st Earl of Onslow
PC (13 September 1731 – 17 May 1814), known as Lord Onslow from 1776 until 1801, was a British peer and politician.
Background
He was the only son of
Arthur Onslow, having no brothers but one sister, who died in 1751.
[''Burke's'': 'Onslow'.] Following in the footsteps of his father, he was admitted to the
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...
on 14 November 1739, but was not
Called to the Bar
The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...
.
Career
Onslow sat as
Member of Parliament for
Rye
Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is grown principally in an area from Eastern and Northern Europe into Russia. It is much more tolerant of cold weather and poor soil than o ...
from 1754 to 1761 and for
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 ...
from 1761 to 1774.
[''Burke's'': 'Onslow'.]
On 3 March 1759 he was commissioned as
lieutenant-colonel of the
Surrey Militia which his kinsman
Richard Onslow, 3rd Baron Onslow, had raised and briefly commanded as
Lord Lieutenant of Surrey. On 3 November that year, the regiment was divided into two battalions and George Onslow was promoted to
colonel
Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
and given command of the 2nd or Western Battalion, with the writer
Francis Grose
Francis Grose (before 11June 173112May 1791) was an England, English antiquary, drawing, draughtsman, and lexicographer. He produced ''A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue'' (1785) and ''A Provincial Glossary, with a Collection of Local ...
as his
adjutant
Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...
. The militia was disembodied in December 1762 at the end of the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...
and the two Surrey battalions amalgamated on 26 February 1763, when Onslow was made colonel of the combined regiment. He resigned the command on 20 October 1765 after he became a government minister. Later, when he was himself Lord Lieutenant of Surrey, his eldest son commanded the
2nd Royal Surrey Militia.
'The Onslows' at Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment.
/ref>
From 1765 to 1777, he was a junior Lord of the Treasury. He then became successively Comptroller of the Household
The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the British royal household, nominally the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department after the Treasurer of the Household. The Comptroller was an ''ex officio'' member of ...
and Treasurer of the Household
The Treasurer of the Household is a member of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The position is usually held by one of the government deputy Chief ...
. On 20 May 1776, he was created Baron Cranley, of Imber Court in the County of Surrey. On 8 October 1776, he also succeeded his second cousin Richard Onslow, 3rd Baron Onslow, as Baron Onslow. He was further honoured on 17 June 1801 when he was created Viscount Cranley, of Cranley in the County of Surrey, and Earl of Onslow, of Onslow in the County of Shropshire.
Family
Lord Onslow married Henrietta Shelley (d. May 1802), daughter of Sir John Shelley, 4th Baronet
Sir John Shelley 4th Baronet (5 March 1692 – 6 September 1771) of Mitchelgrove, Sussex, was a British Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1727 and 1747.
Shelley was the eldest son of Sir John Shelley, 3rd Baronet and his ...
and his second wife Margaret Pelham, on 26 June 1753. They had four sons and one daughter:Thames Ditton
Thames Ditton is a suburban village on the River Thames, in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey, England. Apart from a large inhabited island in the river, it lies on the southern bank, centred south-west of Charing Cross in central London. Thame ...
, and a large estate including farms and gardens, and the Imber Court Copper Mills.
The Earl died on 17 May 1814 aged 82 and was succeeded by his eldest son.[
]
Notes
References
*
* ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage,'' 100th Edn, London, 1953.
Capt John Davis, ''Historical Records of the Second Royal Surrey or Eleventh Regiment of Militia'', London: Marcus Ward, 1877.
*
*
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External links
*
Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment
{{DEFAULTSORT:Onslow, George Onslow, 1st Earl of
1731 births
1814 deaths
British MPs 1754–1761
British MPs 1761–1768
British MPs 1768–1774
1
Lord-lieutenants of Surrey
Surrey Militia officers
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain
People from Thames Ditton
Treasurers of the Household
Peers of Great Britain created by George III