Sir William Ashburnham, 2nd Baronet

{{Short description|British politician}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}

Sir William Ashburnham, 2nd Baronet (1 April 1678 – 7 November 1755) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1710 and 1741.

Ashburnham was the eldest surviving son of Sir Denny Ashburnham, 1st Baronet of Broomham and his wife Anne Watkins, daughter of Sir David Watkins. In 1697, he succeeded his father in the baronetcy.{{cite book | last = Debrett | first = John | publisher = G. Woodfall | edition = 5th | title = Debrett's Baronetage of England | volume = I | year = 1824 | location = London | pages = 294 }} He married Margaret Pelham, daughter of Sir Nicholas Pelham on 7 June 1701.

Ashburnham was appointed to a sinecure post as Chamberlain of the Exchequer in 1710 and held the post until his death.{{cite book | last = Haydn | first = Joseph | title = The Book of Dignities: Containing Rolls of the Official Personages of the British Empire | url = https://archive.org/details/bookdignitiesco00haydgoog | publisher = Longman, Brown, Green and Longman's | location = London | year = 1851 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/bookdignitiesco00haydgoog/page/n259 236] }} At the 1710 general election he was returned unopposed as Member of Parliament for Hastings on the family interest but did not stand in 1713.{{cite web| url = https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1690-1715/member/ashburnham-sir-william-1678-1755| title= ASHBURNHAM, Sir William, 2nd Bt. (1678–1755), of Broomham Park, Guestling, Suss.| publisher= History of Parliament Online (1690–1715)| accessdate = 31 August 2018}} He was returned as MP for Seaford at the 1715 general election but resigned his seat in 1717 when he was granted another sinecure post as Commissioner of the Alienation Office. He returned to parliament as MP for Hastings at the 1722 general election and held the seat at the elections of 1727 and 1734. In 1735 he was appointed receiver of fines. In 1741 he resigned his seat in parliament through ill health but retained his government posts until his death.{{cite web| url = https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1715-1754/member/ashburnham-sir-william-1677-1755 | title= ASHBURNHAM, Sir William, 2nd Bt. (c.1677-1755), of Broomham, nr. Hastings, Suss.| publisher= History of Parliament Online (1715–1754)| accessdate = 31 August 2018}}

Ashburnham died on 7 November 1755 and was buried at Guestling in Sussex.{{cite web | url= http://www.thepeerage.com/p12614.htm#i126133 | title= ThePeerage - Sir William Ashburnham, 2nd Bt | accessdate= 25 January 2009}} His marriage was childless and he was succeeded in the baronetcy by his younger brother Charles.{{cite book | last = Burke | first = John | title = A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire | publisher = Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley | location = London | volume = I | edition = 4th | year = 1832 | pages = 50 }}

{{Infobox COA wide

|image=Ashburnham Achievement.png

|escutcheon = Gules a fess between six mullets Argent

|crest = Out of a ducal coronet Or an ash tree Proper

|motto = Will God, And I Shall{{cite book|title=Burke's Peerage|date=1949}}}}