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Alexander Baring, 4th Baron Ashburton

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Lord Ashburton
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
In office
6 September 1868 – 18 July 1889
Preceded byThe 3rd Baron Ashburton
Succeeded byThe 5th Baron Ashburton
Member of Parliament
for Thetford
In office
1857–1867
Serving with
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Personal details
Born4 May 1835
Died18 July 1889(1889-07-18) (aged 54)
Bath House, Piccadilly, England
Spouse
Leonora Caroline Digby
(m. 1864)
RelationsHugues-Bernard Maret, duc de Bassano (grandfather)
Children7
Parent(s)Francis Baring, 3rd Baron Ashburton
Hortense Eugenie Claire Maret de Bassano
EducationHarrow School
Alma materChrist Church, Oxford

Alexander Hugh Baring, 4th Baron Ashburton, DL (4 May 1835 – 18 July 1889[1]), was a British landowner and Conservative Party politician.

Early life

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Baring was the son of Francis Baring, 3rd Baron Ashburton (1800–1868), and his wife Hortense Eugenie Claire Maret de Bassano (c. 1812–1882).[2] His sister, Marie Anne Louise Baring, was the wife of William FitzRoy, 6th Duke of Grafton.[3]

His paternal grandparents were Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton, and the American heiress Ann Louisa Bingham (whose father was U.S. Senator William Bingham).[4] His father was the younger brother of Bingham Baring, 2nd Baron Ashburton, and among his paternal relatives was Harriet Baring (wife of Henry Thynne, 3rd Marquess of Bath).[5] His maternal grandfather was Hugues-Bernard Maret, duc de Bassano, the former Prime Minister of France.[2]

He was educated at Harrow School and Christ Church, Oxford, graduating in 1857.[6]

Career

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Baring was elected unopposed as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Thetford at a by-election in December 1857, filling the vacancy caused by his father's succession to the peerage.[7] He was re-elected in 1859 and 1865, and held the seat until he succeeded to the peerage in 1868 on the death of his father.[7]

On 16 June 1864, Baring was appointed to be a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Norfolk.[8] A member of the Baring family, he succeeded to the title of Baron Ashburton on 6 September 1868.[2]

Personal life

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On 5 January 1864, Baring was married to Leonora Caroline Digby, daughter of Edward Digby, 9th Baron Digby, and Lady Theresa Anna Maria Fox-Strangways (eldest daughter of Henry Fox-Strangways, 3rd Earl of Ilchester). Together, they were the parents of:[2]

He was an art collector and owned many prominent pieces, including Rembrandt's 1660 self portrait, Aelbert Cuyp's Horsemen and Herdsmen with Cattle (1655/1660), and Meindert Hobbema's Hut among Trees (c. 1664).[10][11] Known affectionately as 'Aclick' to members of his family, he was also a keen yachtsman and embarked on many overseas tours including Scandinavia and the Caribbean. It was returning from such a trip that led to his final demise, after catching a sickness, whilst in Hong Kong from which he never seemed to fully recover. Shortly after, whilst in Chicago, his physician was very concerned for his health however, he made good improvements and was expected to fully recover before dying suddenly shortly after returning to England.

Lord Ashburton died at Bath House, Piccadilly, in London, and was succeeded in his title by his eldest son Francis. His widow died on 19 August 1930.[2]

He owned 36,000 acres.[12]

References

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  1. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "T" (part 1)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Ashburton, Baron (UK, 1835)". www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  3. ^ "Grafton, Duke of (E, 1675)". www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Archived from the original on 27 April 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  4. ^ Vyhmeister, E. K. (8 January 2007). Lord Sherborne. Lulu.com. p. 177. ISBN 978-0-615-13924-1.
  5. ^ "Bath, Marquess of (GB, 1789)". www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  6. ^ University of Oxford (1888). Abbay-Dyson. Parker and Company. p. 59.
  7. ^ a b Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 305–306. ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
  8. ^ "No. 22865". The London Gazette. 21 June 1864. p. 3170.
  9. ^ Dod's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, of Great Britain and Ireland, for ...: Including All the Titled Classes. S. Low, Marston & Company. 1908. p. 1060.
  10. ^ "Baring, 4th Baron Ashburton, Alexander Hugh 1835 - 1889". www.nga.gov. National Gallery of Art. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  11. ^ "Alexander Baring, 4th Baron Ashburton | Artist". www.royalacademy.org.uk. Royal Academy of Arts. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  12. ^ The great landowners of Great Britain and Ireland
[edit]
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Thetford
1857–1867
With: William FitzRoy, Earl of Euston, to 1863
Lord Frederick FitzRoy 1863–1865
Robert Harvey from 1865
Succeeded by
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Baron Ashburton
2nd creation
1868–1889
Member of the House of Lords
(1868–1889)
Succeeded by