Francis Baring, 3rd Baron Ashburton (20 May 1800 – 6 September 1868) was a British peer Whig and later

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...

politician.

Early life

He was born in Philadelphia, United States, the second son of Alexander Baring and Ann Louisa, the daughter and coheiress of the wealthy

William Bingham William Bingham (March 8, 1752February 7, 1804) was an American statesman from Philadelphia. He was a delegate for Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress from 1786 to 1788 and served in the United States Senate from 1795 to 1801. Bingham was o ...

of Blackpoint, Philadelphia, a US Senator. He was the younger brother of

Bingham Baring William Bingham Baring, 2nd Baron Ashburton, (June 1799 – 23 March 1864) was a British businessman and a Whig politician who later became a Tory. Background and education William Bingham Baring was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in June ...

. Francis was educated privately and at Geneva and in 1817 joined Baring Brothers, the family bank. After successfully travelling on business to North America and the West Indies he was made a quarter share partner in the bank in 1823. However, after unfortunate financial speculations in Mexican land and in the French sugar market, he was demoted to a non-executive director in 1828 and in 1830 was given his brother's Parliamentary seat for Thetford.

Political career

He was elected at the 1830 general election as a Whig Member of Parliament (MP) for the borough of Thetford in Norfolk, and held the seat until the 1831 election, which he did not contest. He was re-elected in

1832 Events January–March * January 6 – Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison founds the New-England Anti-Slavery Society. * January 13 – The Christmas Rebellion of slaves is brought to an end in Jamaica, after the island's white plant ...

as a Tory, and held the seat as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

until the 1841 general election, which he did not contest. He was returned again for Thetford at a by-election in August 1848, and held the seat until his

resignation Resignation is the formal act of leaving or quitting one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or choos ...

through appointment as Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds on 30 November 1857. Baring succeeded to the barony in 1864 on the death of his brother,

, becoming the 3rd

Baron Ashburton Baron Ashburton, of Ashburton in the County of Devon, is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of Great Britain and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since 1835, the title has been held by members of the Baring fam ...

Slave holder

According to the '' Legacies of British Slave-Ownership'' at the

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

, Baring was awarded compensation in the aftermath of the

Slavery Abolition Act 1833 The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 (3 & 4 Will. IV c. 73) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which provided for the gradual abolition of slavery in most parts of the British Empire. It was passed by Earl Grey's reforming administrat ...

with the

Slave Compensation Act 1837 The Slave Compensation Act 1837 (1 & 2 Vict. c. 3) was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom, signed into law on 23 December 1837. It authorised the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt to compensate slave owners in the Brit ...

. Baring was associated with eight different claims, he owned 1079 slaves in British Guiana and received approximately £56,000 in compensation. Retrieved 15 September 2021.

Family

He married in 1832 Claire Hortense (c. 1812 – 1882), a daughter of

Hugues-Bernard Maret, duc de Bassano Hugues-Bernard Maret (, 1 May 1763 – 13 May 1839), 1st Duke of Bassano (''Duc de Bassano''), was a French statesman, diplomat and journalist. Biography Early career Maret was born in Dijon, in the province of Burgundy, as the second son o ...

, and moved to live in Paris. He was the father of

Alexander Baring, 4th Baron Ashburton Alexander Hugh Baring, 4th Baron Ashburton, (4 May 1835 – 18 July 1889) was a British landowner and Conservative Party politician. Early life Baring was the son of Francis Baring, 3rd Baron Ashburton (1800–1868), and his wife Hortense Euge ...

, and Marie Anne Louise Baring (wife of

William FitzRoy, 6th Duke of Grafton William Henry Fitzroy, 6th Duke of Grafton (5 August 1819 – 21 May 1882), styled Viscount Ipswich until 1847 and Earl of Euston between 1847 and 1863, was a British peer and Liberal Party politician. He was born in London and educated at H ...

Legacy

The town of

Ashburton, New Zealand Ashburton ( mi, Hakatere) is a large town in the Canterbury Region, on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The town is the seat of the Ashburton District. It is south west of Christchurch and is sometimes regarded as a satell ...

, is named for Francis Baring, who was a member of the

Canterbury Association The Canterbury Association was formed in 1848 in England by members of parliament, peers, and Anglican church leaders, to establish a colony in New Zealand. The settlement was to be called Canterbury, with its capital to be known as Christchurch ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashburton, Francis Baring, 3rd Baron 1800 births 1868 deaths British bankers Whig (British political party) MPs for English constituencies Tory MPs (pre-1834) Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1830–1831 UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1835–1837 UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs 1852–1857 Ashburton, B3 Francis British people of American descent Ashburton, New Zealand Francis 3 Younger sons of barons Recipients of payments from the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 British slave owners 19th-century British businesspeople