The Baring family is a German and

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

family of merchants and bankers. In Germany, the family belongs to the '' Bildungsbürgertum'', and in England, it belongs to the

aristocracy Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense Economy, economic, Politics, political, and soc ...

History

The family's earliest known ancestor is Peter Baring (or Petrus Baring), who was a burgher of the city of

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

, then a semi-independent city-state that was part of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

and the

Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...

, now part of the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, around 1500. Peter Baring's son Franz Baring (Franciscus Baringius) became the first

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

bishop of Lauenburg in what is now

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...

in Germany from 1565. The current family in Germany and England is descended from Franz Baring. In the

Electorate of Hanover The Electorate of Hanover ( or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an Prince-elector, electorate of the Holy Roman Empire located in northwestern Germany that arose from the Principality of Calenberg. Although formally known as the Electorate of Brun ...

, 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 Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

. He was the father of Johann Baring (1697–1748), who moved from his hometown of Bremen to

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

in England to take up an apprenticeship with a

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

-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 Francis may refer to: People and characters *Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025) *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) * Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie2 ...

and John Baring moved to London, where in 1762 they founded the ''John and Francis Baring Company'', commonly known as

Barings Bank Barings Bank was a British merchant bank based in London. It was one of England's oldest merchant banks after Berenberg Bank, Barings' close collaborator and German representative. It was founded in 1762 by Francis Baring, a British-born member ...

. Barings Bank became one of the leading London

merchant bank A merchant bank is historically a bank dealing in commercial loans and investment. In modern British usage, it is the same as an investment bank. Merchant banks were the first modern banks and evolved from medieval merchants who traded in comm ...

s, until it collapsed in 1995. Francis Baring was the father of

Sir Thomas Baring, 2nd Baronet Sir Thomas Baring, 2nd Baronet (12 June 1772 – 3 April 1848), was a British banker and Member of Parliament. Early life Baring was born on 12 June 1772. A member of the Baring family, he was the eldest son of Harriet (née Herring) Baring ...

, 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 Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer, (; 26 February 1841 – 29 January 1917) was a British statesman, diplomat and colonial administrator. He served as the British controller-general in Egypt during 1879, part of the international control whic ...

. 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 The Berenberg family (Dutch language, Dutch for "bear mountain") was a Flanders, Flemish-origined Hanseaten (class), Hanseatic family of merchants, bankers and senators in Hamburg, with branches in London, Livorno and other European cities. The ...

of bankers.Tanja Drössel, ''Die Engländer in Hamburg 1914 bis 1945'', pp. 107–108.

Hereditary titles

The Baring family is one of the most titled in the United Kingdom, since several family members were created peers or

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

s. 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

External links

{{Authority control Banking families German families Businesspeople from Bremen (city)