William Ashburnham, 2nd Baron Ashburnham (21 May 1679 – 16 June 1710) was an English landowner and politician.

Ashburnham was the eldest son of John Ashburnham, 1st Baron Ashburnham

John Ashburnham, 1st Baron Ashburnham

John Ashburnham, 1st Baron Ashburnham was an English landowner and politician.Ashburnham was the son of William Ashburnham and the grandson of John Ashburnham. His mother was the Honourable Elizabeth, daughter of John Poulett, 1st Baron Poulett. He sat as Member of Parliament for Hastings from...

, and Bridget, daughter of Walter Vaughan, of Porthammel House, Brecknockshire

Brecknockshire

Brecknockshire , also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, and a former administrative county.-Geography:...

. He sat as 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,...

 for Hastings

Hastings (UK Parliament constituency)

Hastings was a parliamentary constituency in Sussex. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until the 1885 general election, when its representation was reduced to one member....

 from 1702 to 1710, a seat previously held by his father. In January 1720 he succeeded his father in the barony and antered the House of Lords

House of Lords

The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....

. He was also briefly Custos Rotulorum of Brecknockshire

Custos Rotulorum of Brecknockshire

This is a list of people who have served as Custos Rotulorum of Brecknockshire.* Sir William Vaughan c. 1544* Sir Roger Vaughan bef. 1558–1571* Richard Price bef. 1573–1586/1587* Sir Robert Knollys bef. 1594 – aft...

 in 1710.

Lord Ashburnham married Catherine, daughter of Thomas Taylor, of Clapham

Clapham

Clapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...

, Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....

, in 1705. The marriage was childless. He died at Ashburnham on 16 June 1710, aged 31, from smallpox

Smallpox

Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...

, and was succeeded by his younger brother, John

John Ashburnham, 1st Earl of Ashburnham

John Ashburnham, 1st Earl of Ashburnham was a British peer.-Career:Ashburnham was the second son of John Ashburnham, 1st Baron Ashburnham and his wife, Bridget, daughter of Walter Vaughan from Brecon, south Wales, who had inherited Pembrey...

. Lady Ashburnham died from the same disease less than a month later, aged 23.