Sir William Ashburnham, 4th Baronet

He married Margaret daughter of Thomas Pelham of Lewes, in Guestling and had a son William who became the M.P.

[1] Ashburnham matriculated in 1728 and then went on to study at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where he received a B.A.

[5] He was made Dean of Chichester in 1742 and in 1743 canon residentiary of St Paul's Cathedral (a preferment he kept in commendam with the see[6]).

[5] During 1767, while Bishop of Chichester, Ashburnham was asked by the dean and chapter to reduce the number of professional adult male singers in the choir (known as lay vicars).

[8] Ashburnham issued statutes to reduce the number to four, their wages immediately being increased by dividing amongst them the stipend originally allotted to the whole body.