Edward Rosling
British planter and politician
About Edward Rosling
Lived 1863 – 1946 (aged 82).
Sir Edward Rosling (4 December 1863 - 19 January 1946) was a Ceylonese tea planter and politician.
Biography Edward Rosling was born 4 December 1863 in Barnes, Surrey, England, the eldest son of Joseph Rosling (1830–1890), a timber merchant in Nutfield, and Julia Victoria née Black (1838–1927). He had two half siblings: Mary (b.1858) and Katherine (b. 1859) from his father's first marriage and three sisters: Margaret (b. 1866), Ethel (b. 1869) and Josephine (b. 1872) and one brother, Percy (b. 1867).
Rosling was educated at Queenwood College, Hampshire. In 1886, at the age of 23, he travelled to Ceylon, where he was apprenticed as a "creeper" on a tea plantation in Ambagamuwa before going home to get married, returning in late 1888 to take up a position as a manager on a tea estate in Nanu Oya. He worked as a tea planter for 27 years, serving as the chairman of the Anglo-Ceylon and General Estates Company Limited. and a Justice of the Peace. He served on the council for ten years until his retirement in 1913.
He married Isabella Graham White (1866-1958) on 28 June 1888 at Duncairn Church in Belfast, Ireland. They had seven children: Josephine (b. 1890), Alfred (b. 1892), Edward (b. 1895), Isobel Phyllis (b. 1898), Percy Campbell (b. 1902), Edward (b. 1904) and Hugh Patrick (b. 1910).
Rosling was knighted in June 1913, for his services on the Legislative Council of Ceylon. Upon his retirement he returned to England becoming the chairman of the Ceylon Association in London between 1914 and 1915.
He died 19 January 1946 in Weybridge, Surrey, England. He is buried in the cemetery at St. Peter's church in Hersham, Surrey.
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Important facts
People in Edward Rosling's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Edward Rosling?
British planter and politician (1863–1946)
When was Edward Rosling born?
Edward Rosling was born on 4 December 1863 in Barnes, London.
When did Edward Rosling die?
Edward Rosling died on 19 January 1946 in Weybridge.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Edward Rosling. https://biography.guide/edward-rosling/
MLA: "Edward Rosling." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/edward-rosling/.
Chicago: "Edward Rosling." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/edward-rosling/.
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