Show lord ashburton active in boundary settlement baron ashburton the english merchant and statesman who participated with daniel webster in the settlement of the northeastern boundary line of maine was the second son of sir francis baring who sent him to the united states and while here he married the daughter of william bingham of philadelphia in the year 1810 he became the head of the house of baring upon the death of his father and was a member of parliament from 1812 t to 0 1835 when he was rais raised ed to the peerage under the title 0 of baron ashburton in the house of commons he opposed the reform bill and in toe of lords the repeal of the corn laws the unsettled condition of the northeastern boundary question led sir robert peel to send baring on a special mission to the united states where he be concluded august 9 1842 the ashburton treaty states a writer in the cleveland plain dealer lord palmerston led the opposition in great britain that assailed the treaty and webster was charged in the united states with being overreached by british diplomacy however public opinion on both sides of the water sanctioned the treaty as a satisfactory adjustment of several difficult questions some of which had embarrassed the relations of the united states and great britain for over half a century the record reads that the extraordinary compliment of a vote of thanks for a diplomatic achievement was paid to lord ashburton in both the house of commons and the house of lords and an earldom was offered him but bui he declined it lord ashburton was a privy councilor a trustee of the british museum and D C L of oxford he died may 13 1848 at the country seat of his daughter the widow of the marquis of bath and his wife died six months later I 1 |