Baring family

History

The family's earliest known ancestor is Peter Baring (or Petrus Baring), who was a burgher of the city of Groningen, then a semi-independent city-state that was part of the Holy Roman Empire and the Hanseatic League, now part of the Netherlands, around 1500. Peter Baring's son Franz Baring (Franciscus Baringius) became the first Lutheran bishop of Lauenburg in what is now Schleswig-Holstein (then in the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg) in Germany from 1565. The current family in Germany and England is descended from Franz Baring. In the Electorate of Hanover, the Baring family belonged to the upper bourgeoisie, the so-called Hübsche Familien (from hübsch, pretty, or good looking), which comprised the third division of the ruling class of the Holy Roman Empire, after the nobility and the clergy.

The English branch of the family is descended from Franz Baring (1657–1697), a professor of theology in Bremen. He was the father of Johann Baring (1697–1748), who moved from his hometown of Bremen to Exeter in England to take up an apprenticeship with a wool-exporter in 1717. Over the years, Johann Baring, who was later also known as John, built a small fortune as a wool merchant. His sons Francis and John Baring moved to London, where in 1762 they founded the John and Francis Baring Company, commonly known as Barings Bank. Barings Bank became one of the leading London merchant banks in the nineteenth century, until it collapsed in 1995. Francis Baring was the father of Sir Thomas Baring, 2nd Baronet, and grandfather to Francis Baring, 1st Baron Northbrook. He was also father to Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton, and through his third son Henry Baring the grandfather of Edward Baring, 1st Baron Revelstoke, and Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer.

Arnulf Baring (19322019) was a member of the branch of the family remaining in Germany.

Since the early 19th century, the Baring family maintained close relations with the Berenberg family of bankers.

Hereditary titles

The Baring family is one of the most titled in the United Kingdom, since several family members were created peers or baronets. The family has held the following British peerage titles:

• Baron Ashburton (created 1835)
• Baron Northbrook (created 1866)
• Earl of Northbrook and Viscount Baring (created 1876; extinct 1929)
• Baron Revelstoke (created 1885)
• Earl of Cromer and Viscount Errington (created 1901)
  • also Baron Cromer (created 1892) and Viscount Cromer (created 1899)
• Baron Howick of Glendale (created 1960)

In addition, two baronetcies have been created for members of the family (in 1793 and 1911):

• see Baring baronets

Gallery

File:John Baring (1697-1748).jpg|Johann Baring File:Sir Francis Baring, 1st Bt.jpg|Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet File:BaringBaringWall.jpg|Sir Francis Baring (left), with brother John Baring and son-in-law Charles Wall File:AlexanderBaring.jpg|Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton File:Francis Baring, 1st Baron Northbrook by Sir George Hayter.jpg|Francis Baring, 1st Baron Northbrook File:Sir Thomas Baring.jpg|Sir Thomas Baring File:Charles Baring portrait.jpg|Bishop Charles Baring File:Bingham Baring, 2nd Baron Ashburton.jpg|Bingham Baring, 2nd Baron Ashburton File:Bain News Service. LOC ggbain.07321. Lady Ashburton (cropped).jpg|Louisa Baring, Lady Ashburton, second wife of Bingham Baring File:Thomas Baring Earl of Northbrook.jpg|Thomas Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook File:Elizabeth Baring, by Richard Buckner.jpg|Elizabeth Baring, wife of Thomas Baring File:Francis Denzil Edward Baring, 5th Baron Ashburton (1866-1938).jpg|Francis Baring, 5th Baron Ashburton

Family tree

References

References

1. Ziegler, Philip. (1988). "The Sixth Great Power: Barings 1762–1929". Collins.
2. (22 January 2013). "The British Bank That Forever Altered the U.S. Economy".
3. (April 2003). "How the Louisiana Purchase Changed the World". [[Smithsonian (magazine).
4. (22 January 2013). "The British Bank That Forever Altered the U.S. Economy".
5. Hickey, Donald R.. (November 2012). "Small War, Big Consequences: Why 1812 Still Matters". [[Council on Foreign Relations]].
6. (22 January 2013). "The British Bank That Forever Altered the U.S. Economy".
7. Ziegler, Philip. (1988). "The Sixth Great Power: Barings 1762–1929". Collins.
8. Tanja Drössel, ''Die Engländer in Hamburg 1914 bis 1945'', pp. 107–108.