Francis Baring, 3rd Baron Ashburton (20 May 1800 – 6 September 1868) was a British peer Whig and later Tory politician.

He was elected at the 1830 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1830

The 1830 United Kingdom general election, was triggered by the death of King George IV and produced the first parliament of the reign of his successor, William IV. Fought in the aftermath of the Swing Riots, it saw electoral reform become a major election issue...

 as a Whig Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 (MP) for the borough of Thetford

Thetford (UK Parliament constituency)

Thetford was a constituency of the British House of Commons. It elected two Members of Parliament by the bloc vote system of election until it was disenfranchised in 1868...

 in Norfolk,
and held the seat until the 1831 election

United Kingdom general election, 1831

The 1831 general election in the United Kingdom saw a landslide win by supporters of electoral reform, which was the major election issue. As a result it was the last unreformed election, as the Parliament which resulted ensured the passage of the Reform Act 1832. Polling was held from 28 April to...

, which he did not contest. He was re-elected in 1832

United Kingdom general election, 1832

-Seats summary:-Parties and leaders at the general election:The Earl Grey had been Prime Minister since 22 November 1830. His was the first predominantly Whig administration since the Ministry of all the Talents in 1806-1807....

 as a Tory, and held the seat as a Conservative

Conservative Party (UK)

The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...

 until the 1841 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1841

-Seats summary:-Whig MPs who lost their seats:*Viscount Morpeth - Chief Secretary for Ireland*Sir George Strickland, Bt*Sir Henry Barron, 1st Baronet-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987...

, which he did not contest.

He was returned again for Thetford at a by-election in August 1848, and held the seat until his resignation

Resignation from the British House of Commons

Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...

 through appointment as Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds on 30 November 1857.

Baring succeeded to the barony in 1864, on the death of his brother, Bingham Baring, becoming the 3rd Baron Ashburton

Baron Ashburton

Baron Ashburton, of Ashburton in the County of Devon, is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of Great Britain and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.-History:...

.

He was the father of Alexander Baring, 4th Baron Ashburton

Alexander Baring, 4th Baron Ashburton

Alexander Hugh Baring, 4th Baron Ashburton DL was a British landowner and Conservative Party politician.Baring was the son of Francis Baring, 3rd Baron Ashburton and his wife Hortense Eugenie Claire Maret de Bassano . He was educated at Harrow School and Christ Church, Oxford, graduating in...

 and Hon. Marie Anne Louise Baring (wife of William FitzRoy, 6th Duke of Grafton

William FitzRoy, 6th Duke of Grafton

William Henry Fitzroy, 6th Duke of Grafton , known from 1847 to 1863 by his courtesy title Earl of Euston, was a British peer and Liberal Party politician....

), by his French wife Claire Hortense Maret de Bassano

Hugues-Bernard Maret, duc de Bassano

Hugues-Bernard Maret, 1st Duc de Bassano was a French statesman and journalist.-Early career:Born at Dijon , he received a solid education, and then entered the legal profession – becoming a lawyer at the King's Council in Paris...

(c. 1812-1882).