Background
Askeaton was the son of Francis Spring and Catherine Mason. His family owned large estates in County Kerry and County Limerick, and he was the great-grandson of Robert Blennerhassett Member of Parliament and Thomas Spring of Castlemaine.
Askeaton was the son of Francis Spring and Catherine Mason. His family owned large estates in County Kerry and County Limerick, and he was the great-grandson of Robert Blennerhassett Member of Parliament and Thomas Spring of Castlemaine.
He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, graduating in 1753. He then attended Inner Temple in London, before returning to Ireland to practise as a lawyer
He was also Custos Rotulorum of County Limerick and served as High Sheriff of Limerick City in 1774. On 18 March 1776 he was created Baron Askeaton in the Peerage of Ireland, entitling him to a seat in the Irish House of Lords. Askeaton married Honorary
Together they had four children, although only one son survived to adulthood.
He died the following year in a riding accident, and the barony became extinct.
He was elected to the Irish House of Commons as the Member of Parliament for Askeaton in 1768, and served in that position until 1776. On 4 July 1778 he was invested as a member of the Privy Council of Ireland.