  Background: The $^{136}$Ba isotope is the daughter nucleus in $^{136}$Xe
$\beta\beta$ decay. It also lies in a shape transitional region of the nuclear
chart, making it a suitable candidate to test a variety of nuclear models.
Purpose: To obtain spectroscopic information on states in $^{136}$Ba, which
will allow a better understanding of its low-lying structure. These data may
prove useful to constrain future $^{136}$Xe $\to$ $^{136}$Ba neutrinoless
$\beta\beta$ decay matrix element calculations. Methods: A
$^{138}\mathrm{Ba}(p,t)$ reaction was used to populate states in $^{136}$Ba up
to approximately 4.6 MeV in excitation energy. The tritons were detected using
a high-resolution Q3D magnetic spectrograph. A distorted wave Born
approximation (DWBA) analysis was performed for the measured triton angular
distributions. Results: One hundred and two excited states in $^{136}$Ba were
observed, out of which fifty two are reported for the first time. Definite
spin-parity assignments are made for twenty six newly observed states, while
previously ambiguous assignments for twelve other states are resolved.
