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 274 COMPLETE PEERAGE ashburnham of Peter Burrell, of Beckenham, Kent. He d. 27 Oct. 1830, (") at Ashburnham, aged 69. Will pr. Dec. 1830. His widow, who was b. 3 June 1776, d. 26 Nov. 1862, in Eaton Sq., Midx., in her 87th year. [George Ashburnham, j/j/fi/ Viscount St. Asaph from Apr. 1812, s. and h. ap. by ist wife, b. 9 Oct. 1785. Ed. at Trin. Coll. Cambridge ; M.A. 1805. M.P. (Tory) for New Romney 1807-12, for Weobley, 1 8 12 till his death. He d. unm., v.p., in Dover Str., 7, and was bur. 15 June 1 8 13, at Ashburnham, aged 27.] EARLDOM. IV. BARONY. VI. 4 and 6. Bertram (Ashburnham), Earl of Ashburnham, t?c., 4th s., being 2nd, but ist „ surv. s. and h. by 2nd wife, b. 23 Nov. 1797. ^ ' Ed. at St. John's Coll., Cambridge. A Con- servative in politics. He w., 8 Jan. 1840, Katherine Charlotte, sister to George, loth Earl of Haddington [S.], 4th da. of George Baillie, of Jerviswood, by Mary, da. of Sir James Pringle, Bart. [S.]. He d. 22 June 1878, at Ashburnham, and was bur. there, aged 80. (") His widow, who was b. 10 May 1819, ^. 6 Feb. 1894. (") By him was edited a well-known book entitled " A Narrative by John Jshburnham of his Attendance on King Charles the First, i^c. To which is pi'efixed a Vindication of his Character and Conduct, from the Misrepresentations of Lord Clarendon, by his lineal Descendant and present Representative. " 2 vols., 1830. C") He was the Collector of an extensive library of early and rare books, both English and Foreign, and of a vast assemblage of MSS. It comprised four divisions — viz. (i) the Libri collection, purchased in 1848, containing numerous ancient codices, illuminated MSS., works of mediaeval literature, literary and scientific correspondence, ^c. (ii) The Barrois collection, rich in old French poetry and romances, (iii) The Stowe collection, purchased, at the sale of the Duke of Buckingham's effects, in 1849, containing many early charters, monastic registers, state papers, and antiquarian gatherings concerning England [including the MSS. of the well-known Thomas Astle, Keeper of the Records], as well as many valuable Irish MSS. (iv) A portion known as the "appendix," comprising Lord Ashburnham's miscellaneous collections. These four portions, containing nearly 4000 MSS., were, in 1883, offered to Govern- ment for j^i 60,000. The French Government, however, claiming between 160 and 170 of the MSS. in the Libri and Barrois collections as having been stolen (which MSS. were valued at ^^24,000), the trustees of the British Museum recommended (17 Mar. 1883) the purchase of the remainder at j^ 136,000, but the Treasury declined the proposal, [ex inform. H.Gough). Finally, however, in July 1883, the Government purchased the Stowe collection (which in 1849 was sold for jTSoGO) for ^^45,000, presenting the English portion to the British Museum, and the Irish (on loan) to the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin ; while in May 1884, the Italian Government bought for ^^23,000, for the Laurenzian library at Florence, the larger portion of the Libri collection (the whole of which, some 1923 MSS. had, in 1846, been sold for j^8ooo), as also the Dante MSS. (some dozen or so) from the " Appendix ; " while the Barrois collection, some 704 MSS. (which had been offered in 1848 to the British Museum for ;^6ooo), and the " Appendix " (except as above stated), were returned to Lord Ashburnham.