Alexander Hugh Baring, 4th Baron Ashburton, (4 May 1835 – 18 July 1889) was a British landowner and

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

politician.

Early life

Baring was the son of

Francis Baring, 3rd Baron Ashburton Francis Baring, 3rd Baron Ashburton (20 May 1800 – 6 September 1868) was a British peer Whig and later Tory politician. Early life He was born in Philadelphia, United States, the second son of Alexander Baring and Ann Louisa, the daughter and ...

(1800–1868), and his wife Hortense Eugenie Claire Maret de Bassano (–1882). His sister, Marie Anne Louise Baring, was the 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 ...

. His paternal grandparents were

Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton, PC (27 October 177412 May 1848), of The Grange in Hampshire, of Ashburton in Devon and of Buckenham Tofts near Thetford in Norfolk, was a British politician and financier, and a member of the Baring famil ...

and the American heiress Ana Louisa Bingham (whose father was

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

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 ...

). His father was the younger brother of

Bingham Baring, 2nd Baron Ashburton 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 ...

and among his paternal relatives was Harriet Baring (wife of

Henry Thynne, 3rd Marquess of Bath Henry Frederick Thynne, 3rd Marquess of Bath (24 May 1797 – 24 June 1837), styled Lord Henry Thynne until January 1837 and Viscount Weymouth between January and March 1837, was a British naval commander and politician. Background Thynne was th ...

). His maternal grandfather was

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 ...

, the former

Prime Minister of France The prime minister of France (french: link=no, Premier ministre français), officially the prime minister of the French Republic, is the head of government of the French Republic and the leader of the Council of Ministers. The prime minister ...

. He was educated at

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

and Christ Church,

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 ...

, graduating in 1857.

Career

Baring was elected unopposed as a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) for

Thetford Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just east of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , in 2015 had a population of 24,340 ...

at a by-election in December 1857, filling the vacancy caused by his father's succession to the peerage. He was re-elected in 1859 and

1865 Events January–March * January 4 – The New York Stock Exchange opens its first permanent headquarters at Broad Street (Manhattan), 10-12 Broad near Wall Street, in New York City. * January 13 – American Civil War : Sec ...

, and held the seat until he succeeded to the peerage in 1868 on the death of his father. On 16 June 1864, Baring was appointed to be a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Norfolk. A member of the

Baring family The Baring family is a German and British family of merchants and bankers. In Germany, the family belongs to the ''Bildungsbürgertum'', and in England, it belongs to the aristocracy. History The family's earliest known ancestor is Peter Baring ...

, he succeeded to the title of Baron Ashburton on 6 September 1868.

Personal life

On 5 January 1864, Baring was married to Leonora Caroline Digby, daughter of

Edward Digby, 9th Baron Digby Edward St Vincent Digby, 9th Baron Digby (21 June 1809 – 16 October 1889), also 3rd Baron Digby in the Peerage of Great Britain, was a British peer. Biography Digby was the son of Admiral Sir Henry Digby, who fought at the Battle of Trafalgar ...

and Lady Theresa Anna Maria Fox-Strangways (eldest daughter of

Henry Fox-Strangways, 3rd Earl of Ilchester Henry Stephen Fox-Strangways, 3rd Earl of Ilchester, PC (21 February 1787 – 8 January 1858), styled Lord Stavordale from birth until 1802, was a British peer and Whig politician. He served as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard under Lord Melb ...

). Together, they were the parents of: * Francis Denzil Edward Baring, 5th Baron Ashburton (1866–1938), who married Mabel Edith Hood, eldest daughter of Francis Hood, 4th Viscount Hood, in 1889. * Capt. Frederick Arthur Baring (1867–1961), who married Laura Louisa Hobson, a daughter of Frederick Hobson of Hockley House, in 1890. * Alexander Henry Baring (1869–1948) * Lt.-Col. Guy Victor Baring (1873–1916), who married Olive Alethea Smith, sister of

Vivian Smith, 1st Baron Bicester Vivian Hugh Smith, 1st Baron Bicester (9 December 1867 – 17 February 1956) was a British merchant banker. Early life Vivian Hugh Smith was born on 9 December 1867. He was the elder son of Hugh Colin Smith (son of John Abel Smith and Governor ...

and youngest daughter of

Hugh Colin Smith Hugh Colin Smith (31 October 1836 – 8 March 1910) was an English banker who was Governor of the Bank of England from 1897–99. Early life Smith was born in London, the son of John Abel Smith (1802–1871), Member of Parliament for Chichester ...

, a

Governor of the Bank of England The governor of the Bank of England is the most senior position in the Bank of England. It is nominally a civil service post, but the appointment tends to be from within the bank, with the incumbent grooming their successor. The governor of the Ba ...

, in 1903. An MP for

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

, he was killed in action on 15 September 1916. * Lilian Theresa Clare Baring (1874–1962), who married Lt.-Col. Frederick Loch Adams, Military Secretary to the

Viceroy of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 19 ...

and youngest son of

William Patrick Adam William Patrick Adam, CIE, DL (14 September 1823 – 24 May 1881) was a British colonial administrator and Liberal politician. He was twice First Commissioner of Works under William Gladstone and also served briefly as Governor of Madras betw ...

in 1906. * Caryl Digby Baring (1880–1956), who served in the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

and the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and married Ivy Firman, a sister of Humphrey Firman and daughter of Humphrey Brooke Firman, in 1907. * Dorothy Mary Baring (1885–1893) He was an art collector and owned many prominent pieces, including

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...

's 1660 self portrait,

Aelbert Cuyp Aelbert Jacobszoon Cuyp () (20 October 1620 – 15 November 1691) was one of the leading Dutch Golden Age painters, producing mainly landscapes. The most famous of a family of painters, the pupil of his father Jacob Gerritszoon Cuyp (1594–1651 ...

's ''Horsemen and Herdsmen with Cattle'' (1655/1660), and

Meindert Hobbema Meindert Lubbertszoon Hobbema (bapt. 31 October 1638 – 7 December 1709) was a Dutch Golden Age painter of landscapes, specializing in views of woodland, although his most famous painting, ''The Avenue at Middelharnis'' (1689, National Galler ...

's ''Hut among Trees'' (). Lord Ashburton died at

Bath House, Piccadilly Bath House in Piccadilly was the London residence of the Barons Ashburton in the 19th century. Formerly the site of the Pulteney Hotel, the property was acquired by Mr. Alexander Baring from William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath in 1821 and rebuilt ...

, in London and was succeeded in his title by his eldest son

Francis Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places * Rural M ...

. His widow died on 19 August 1930.

References

External links

*
Baring, Alexander Hugh (1835-1889) 4th Baron Ashburton
at

The National Archives National archives are central archives maintained by countries. This article contains a list of national archives. Among its more important tasks are to ensure the accessibility and preservation of the information produced by governments, both ...

Alexander Hugh Baring, 4th Baron Ashburton (1835-1899), Politician and landowner
at the

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...

Leonora Caroline Baring (née Digby), Lady Ashburton (1844-1930), Wife of 4th Baron Ashburton
at the

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashburton, Alexander Baring, 4th Baron Deputy Lieutenants of Norfolk 1835 births 1889 deaths Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1857–1859 UK MPs 1859–1865 UK MPs 1865–1868 Ashburton, B4

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

British people of American descent People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Ashburton, Alexander Baring, 4th Baron Alexander 4 Eldest sons of British hereditary barons