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. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...

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 is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college is the third-oldest college of the university and has over 700 students and fellows. It is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from ...

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 im ...

for 1763–64 and in 1768 stood successfully as Member of Parliament (MP) for

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, the same constituency his great-grandfather Sir Jacob Astley, 1st Baronet 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, 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 ...

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