Earl of Ashburnham (pronounced "Ash-''burn''-am"), of Ashburnham in the

County of Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

, was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain created in 1730 for

John Ashburnham, 3rd Baron Ashburnham John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, who was also created Viscount St Asaph, in Wales. Baron Ashburnham was created in the Peerage of England in 1689 for John Ashburnham, grandson of the John Ashburnham who helped King Charles I escape from

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and Hampton Court Palace. He obtained from the King, for his London seat, the Westminster Abbey Prior's House, which had been seized by the Crown during the dissolution of the monasteries. He rebuilt it and renamed it

Ashburnham House Ashburnham House is an extended seventeenth-century house on Little Dean's Yard in Westminster, London, United Kingdom, which since 1882 has been part of Westminster School. It is occasionally open to the public, when its staircase and first fl ...

; it now stands as one of the central buildings of

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

, and has given the family name to one of the co-ed day houses. The titles all became extinct in 1924, with the death of the 6th Earl. The surviving member of the family was Lady Mary Catherine Charlotte Ashburnham (1890–1953), daughter of the 5th Earl. The family's wealth was substantially drawn from the Welsh village of

Pembrey Pembrey ( Welsh: ''Pen-bre'') is a village in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated between Burry Port and Kidwelly, overlooking Carmarthen Bay, with a population of about 2,154 in 2011. The electoral ward having a population of 4,301. It is in t ...

; as late as 1873 the earls owned 7,568 acres in Wales. They also carried on the iron industry at their extensive landholdings across Sussex. The 2nd and 3rd Earls of Ashburnham were successful

courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the official ...

s. The 4th Earl bought a famous collection of Illuminated manuscripts, which was sold by the 5th Earl, mostly to the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

, although the

Ashburnham Pentateuch The Ashburnham Pentateuch (Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, MS nouv. acq. lat. 2334, also known as the Tours Pentateuch and the Codex Turonensis) is a late 6th- or early 7th-century Latin illuminated manuscript of the Pentateuch (the first ...

is in Paris. The 5th Earl sold off most of the painting collection, including one of Rembrandt's self-portraits. He was a supporter of the Spanish

Carlist Carlism ( eu, Karlismo; ca, Carlisme; ; ) is a Traditionalist and Legitimist political movement in Spain aimed at establishing an alternative branch of the Bourbon dynasty – one descended from Don Carlos, Count of Molina (1788–1855) – ...

claimant, Juan, Count of Montizón. The country seat of the Earls of Ashburnham was Ashburnham Place in Sussex. It was occupied by the 6th earl's niece, Lady Catherine Ashburnham (1890–1953), until her death in 1953, and subsequently the contents were sold in 1953 and the land in 1953–1957. The estate was inherited by the Reverend John Bickersteth (1926–1991). The house was reduced in size and turned into a Christian conference centre, which caters to both individuals and groups.

Barons Ashburnham (1689)

John Ashburnham, 1st Baron Ashburnham John Ashburnham, 1st Baron Ashburnham (15 January 1656 – 21 January 1710) was an English landowner and politician. Ashburnham was the son of William Ashburnham and the grandson of John Ashburnham. His mother was the Honourable Elizabeth, daug ...

(1656–1710) *

William Ashburnham, 2nd Baron Ashburnham William Ashburnham, 2nd Baron Ashburnham (21 May 1679 – 16 June 1710) was an English landowner and Tory politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons from 1702 until 1710, when he succeeded to the peerage as Baron Ashburnham an ...

(1679–1710) *

(1687–1737; created Earl of Ashburnham in 1730)

Earls of Ashburnham (1730)

John Ashburnham, 1st Earl of Ashburnham John Ashburnham, 1st Earl of Ashburnham (13 March 1687 – 10 March 1737) was a British Army officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons briefly in 1710 when he unexpectedly succeeded to the peerage and sat in the House of Lords. ...

(1687–1737) *

John Ashburnham, 2nd Earl of Ashburnham John Ashburnham, 2nd Earl of Ashburnham, PC (30 October 1724 – 8 April 1812), styled Viscount St Asaph from 1730 to 1737, was a British peer and courtier. Early life Ashburnham was the only son of John Ashburnham, 1st Earl of Ashburnham, by ...

(1724–1812) *

George Ashburnham, 3rd Earl of Ashburnham George Ashburnham, 3rd Earl of Ashburnham, KG, GCH, FSA (25 December 1760 – 27 October 1830) was a British peer. He was the son of the 2nd Earl of Ashburnham and the former Elizabeth Crowley, being styled Viscount St Asaph from birth, ...

(1760–1830) **

George Ashburnham, Viscount St Asaph George Ashburnham, Viscount St Asaph (9 October 1785 – 7 June 1813), styled The Honourable George Ashburnham until 1812, was a British politician. Background and education Ashburnham was the eldest son of George Ashburnham, 3rd Earl of Ashbur ...

(1785–1813) *

Bertram Ashburnham, 4th Earl of Ashburnham Bertram Ashburnham, 4th Earl of Ashburnham (23 November 1797 – 22 June 1878) was a British peer. He was the fourth son of George Ashburnham, 3rd Earl of Ashburnham. As the eldest son still living when his father died in 1830, he succeeded as ...

(1797–1878) *

Bertram Ashburnham, 5th Earl of Ashburnham Bertram Ashburnham, 5th Earl of Ashburnham (28 October 1840 – 15 January 1913) was a British peer. He was the English agent for the Spanish Carlist cause, and a supporter of Irish Home Rule. He sold off the Ashburnham collection of manuscripts ...

(1840–1913) * Thomas Ashburnham, 6th Earl of Ashburnham (1855–1924)

Toponymy

Ashburnham County in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia was named after the 4th Earl.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashburnham Extinct earldoms in the Peerage of Great Britain 1730 establishments in Great Britain Noble titles created in 1730 1924 disestablishments in the United Kingdom