Edward Onslow

Who was Edward Onslow?

Edward Onslow was a British nobleman, the younger son of George Onslow, 1st Earl of Onslow.

Onslow was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, matriculating in 1774. He briefly sat as Member of Parliament for Aldborough in 1780 and was elected the same year as a fellow of the Royal Society.

In 1781, Onslow was involved in a homosexual scandal, and was forced to resign his seat in Parliament and flee to France.

On 7 March 1783, he married Marie Rosalie de Bourdeilles de Brantôme; one of their sons was George Onslow, the classical composer. Marie was possessed of a considerable dowry, and Onslow spent the rest of his life as a country gentleman in France.