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 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. ...

, by his third wife, Jemima Grey, the daughter of the courtier

Duke of Kent Duke of Kent is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of peerage of Great Britain, Great Britain and the peerage of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom, most recently as a Royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom, royal dukedom ...

Career

In 1737, he inherited his father's titles and became a

Lord of the Bedchamber Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the royal household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household; the term being fir ...

in 1748. From 1753 to 1762, Ashburnham was Keeper of

Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...

and

St. James's Park St James's Park is a park in the City of Westminster, central London. It is at the southernmost tip of the St James's area, which was named after a leper hospital dedicated to St James the Less. It is the most easterly of a near-continuous ch ...

and

Lord Lieutenant of Sussex This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Sussex. From 1677 until 1974, all Lord Lieutenants were also Custos Rotulorum of Sussex. Lord Lieutenants of Sussex to 1974 * Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel 1551–? ''jointly with ...

from 1754 to 1757. In 1765, he was appointed

Master of the Great Wardrobe The King's Wardrobe, together with the Chamber, made up the personal part of medieval English government known as the King's household. Originally the room where the king's clothes, armour, and treasure were stored, the term was expanded to des ...

, and

Groom of the Stole The Groom of the Stool (formally styled: "Groom of the King's Close Stool") was the most intimate of an English monarch's courtiers, responsible for assisting the king in excretion and hygiene. The physical intimacy of the role naturally led to ...

in 1775. In 1767, he acquired estates in

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

from Sir Richard Glyn, and had his residence at Ashburnham House on Lots Lane. He sold the estate to the widowed

Lady Mary Coke Lady Mary Coke (6 February 1727 – 30 September 1811) was an English noblewoman known for her letters and private journal. She made pointed observations of people in her circle and political figures. Although not intended for publication, an edi ...

in 1786.

Personal life

On 25 June 1756, Ashburnham married Elizabeth Crowley (1727–1781), a daughter and co-heiress of

Alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

John Crowley , of

Barking, Suffolk Barking is a village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk. It is west of Needham Market on the B1078 road. The village is linear along the road with its centre being around the area known as Barking Tye ...

, a wealthy London merchant, and a son of Sir Ambrose Crowley. Her dowry was £200,000. Elizabeth's mother was Theodosia, daughter of Revd. Joseph Gascoygne. They had six children: *George, styled Viscount St Asaph (1 February 1758 – 1758). *Lady Henrietta Theodosia (1759–1847), died unmarried. Collins, Arthur, Brydges, Sir Egerton,
Collins's Peerage of England: Genealogical, Biographical, and Historical'' Vol. IV
(BiblioLife ebook format) 1812, p. 263 * George, styled Viscount St Asaph (1760–1830), later 3rd Earl of Ashburnham. *Lady Jemima Elizabeth (1762–1786), married

James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

. *Lady Elizabeth Frances (1763–1854), died unmarried. *Lady Theodosia Maria (1765–1822), married Robert Vyner. Lord Ashburnham died on 8 April 1812 and was succeeded by his son

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

References

, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashburnham, John Ashburnham, 2nd Earl of 1724 births 1812 deaths Earls of Ashburnham Lord-Lieutenants of Sussex Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain Grooms of the Stool Court of George III of the United Kingdom