The Baring family is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

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

History

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

Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...

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

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

and the Hanseatic League, now part of the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

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

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

bishop of Lauenburg in what is now

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

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 (german: Kurfürstentum Hannover or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire, located in northwestern Germany and taking its name from the capital city of Hanover. It was formally known as ...

, 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 (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie H ...

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

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal c ...

in England to take up an apprenticeship with a

wool Wool is the textile fibre 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 properties similar to animal 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 Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome * Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) Places *Rural ...

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, and 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 of ...

. 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 commodi ...

s, 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.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 Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet (18 April 1740 – 11 September 1810) was an English merchant banker, a member of the Baring family, later becoming the first of the Baring baronets. Early life He was born at Larkbeare House near Exeter, so ...

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, Lady Louisa Barings 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 Francis Denzil Edward Baring, 5th Baron Ashburton, DL (20 July 1866 – 27 March 1938), was a British peer and politician. Early life Baring was the son of Alexander Baring, 4th Baron Ashburton, a Member of Parliament for Thetford, and Leonora ...

Family tree

References

External links

{{Banking families Banking families German families Businesspeople from Bremen