Edward Grimston (St Albans MP)

The Honourable Edward Harbottle Grimston (born 2 April 1812 at Mayfair, London; died 4 May 1881 at Pebmarsh, Essex) was an English amateur cricketer and a Conservative Party politician who held a seat in the House of Commons from 1835 to 1841.^[1]

Edward Grimston, 1861 photograph

Career

Cricket

Grimston played in 30 first-class cricket matches between 1832 and 1849, mainly for Oxford University and MCC.^[2][3] He was a right-handed batsman and an underarm medium pace bowler.

Politics

Grimston was elected at the 1835 general election as one of the two Members of Parliament (MPs) for the borough of St Albans in Hertfordshire.^[4][5] He was re-elected in 1837,^[6] but resigned his seat in 1841^[5] by the procedural device of appointment as Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds.^[7]

Church

After resigning his parliamentary seat, Grimston took holy orders and was rector of Pebmarsh (a parish of which his father was patron) from 1841 until his death in 1881.^[8]

Family

Grimston was the second son of James Grimston, 1st Earl of Verulam. Three of his brothers James, Robert and Francis all played first-class cricket, as did his son Walter and his nephew Lord Hyde.