James Jepson Binns - The Binns Family

T H E BINNS NEWSLETTER
Num ber 8
Autumn 2004
Binns Connections
What’s New
It has become something
of a tradition
that publication of the
News Letter is a
somewhat rare and
d e l a y e d event.
Apologies to all those
who have been disappointed.
You previous
editor, Leslie
Binns, after many
years of loyal and
stalwart service has
relinquished the task,
although his interest
and help will continue
to be highly
valued in the future.
Your new editor is
David Binns whose
family hails from
Cullingworth,YKS.
He now lives in retirement
with his wife
in North Shields,
Tyne and Wear.
Alan P. Binns continues
to look after the
distribution of hard
copies to our friends
who do not have
internet access. There
will also be an important
change to the
way in which future
editions of the magazine
will be produced
and hopefully this
will facilitate more
frequent editions. It’s
up to you how well
this works, as you
will realise, as you
read about the website
developments.
Thebinnsfamily.org. uk.
The Binns Family
now has an up to date
web site that contains
all the data of Bindex.
The data is easy
to update and corrections,
edits, and the
addition of new data
can be initiated by
users themselves.
Additionally the site
has a message board
and discussion forums.
It is hoped that
users will find this to
be a good way of
making and maintaining
contact with other
family members. Any
articles or information
that users wish to
have published,
should be posted on
the message board
and periodically, after
editing, these will
form the basis of future
hard copy magazines.
T. David Binns, Your New Editor
Finally many thanks
to all those who have
so generously financially
supported the
printing and distribution
of this and previous
News Letters. If
you have enjoyed this
edition of the newsletter
and would like
to make a donation
toward the printing
and distribution costs
of further editions
then you can send
cheques payable to T.
Binns at 103 Haswell
Gardens, North
Shields, Tyne and
Wear. NE30 2DR.
A heart felt thank you
is due to Ian Binns
and Peach Digital
Ltd. for their unstinting
efforts in providing
a web site and securing
the registration
of thebinnsfamily.org.uk.
Ins ide this issue:
Military Men/ “In The Churchyard 2-3
Binns Tales and a Sad Death 4
American Connections 5-7
Musical Binns 8
Harold Lister Binns 9
Convicts and Robbers 10
Men of The Cloth/ A Girl Called Alice 11

Military Medal
Left to right Arthur Binns, M. M. (1893-1956),
his mother Sarah Ann Jones (1868-1943), sister
Emmie Elizabeth Binns (1898-1972) standing,
sister Lily Binns (1903-1987) sitting, father
Walter Atkinson Binns (1866-1945),
brother Thomas Wilkinson Binns (1895-1972),
brother Clifford Binns (1900-1980) sitting.
Taken at Oakworth, Keighley.
Your editor remembers that his
Uncles Arthur Binns and Thomas
Wilkinson Binns both
served in World War I. On June
23, 1917, The Keighley News
carried the following report:
“ Private A. Binns, of Oakworth,
[ Keighley] has been
awarded the Military Medal for
bravery on the field. He was a
school teacher at Thurnscoe
Council School before enlistment,
and was educated at the
Keighley Trade and Grammar
School and the Sheffield Training
college. He had served in
Egypt before going to France,
fifteen months ago. In his last
letter home he says: “We have
been into old Fritz’s trench once
again. It was pretty exciting at
the time, but here we are still
merry and bright and looking
forward to the time when we can
be civilised again. Now, I am
sporting a little bit of ribbon
above my left pocket which signifies
that I have been awarded
the Military Medal. When we
went over the lid and got into the
trenches one of those nice people,
the Germans threw a handgrenade
into the trench. I
grabbed it and pitched it out before
it exploded. It went off in
the air, but did not hurt anybody.
Of course if I had left it alone it
would have laid three or four of
us out. Another brother is serving
at the front.”
The following year and not long
before the end of the War, The
Bradford Weekly Telegraph of
16 th August 1918 said :”Binns
Pte. A. Military Medallist, West
Yorkshire Regiment and 19
Commercial Street, Oakworth
who was reported missing in
March is a prisoner of war.” Fortunately
he returned home safely
to marry his fiancée, Alice Ingham
of Stanbury in February
1919.
I grabbed it and pitched it out
before it exploded
Thomas Wilkinson Binns, his
brother also served with the
West Yorkshire Regiment and
the Irish Fusiliers in Egypt and
in France. Although he too survived
the War, he was less fortunate
than his brother, in that during
the four years he served, he
was wounded four times. He was
not awarded any prestigious
medals for gallantry but he hung
those he did win behind the
privy door where he could be
certain that everybody in the
household would be sure to see
and admire them.
Page 2

In The Churchyard
by Wilkinson Binns
Tombs of my fathers a lesson I’d learn
As over your ashes I musingly yearn
The world can no longer cause sorrow to you
Your pinions grow stronger beyond the bright blue
Your lot upon earth was much toil and care
Now you are reposing in realms bright and fair
You toil’d out your life for a world cold and proud
And what did it give you a coffin and shroud
And such awaits me at the end of my span
For dust unto dust is the lot of frail man
Then why do I live? And for what am I sent
Unto what purpose ought life to be spent
To do what I can for the good of my kind
A good name to get a heaven to find.
Written in 1868 by Wilkinson Binns, 1831-1914 and published in the Manchester
Magazine in October 1882.
Wilkinson Binns c 1855
Wilkinson’s parents and probably his grandparents were buried in Haworth churchyard
Fallen Ancestors
George Herbert Binns
Lilian Vear of York tells us
about her Uncle George Herbert
Binns, known as Bert, who
served in the 9 th Battalion of the
Royal Scots. He died 12 th April
1916, only three months before
his 21 st birthday. He is remembered
on the Ploegsheert Memorial
at Hainault, Belgium and
also on the Royal Scots panel in
the chapel at Edinburgh Castle.
His two brothers also served but
returned home safely.
Archie Binns
Rebekah Binns wrote to tell us
about her grandfather Archie
Binns who was born in 1899 and
died in 1971. Archie wrote over
20 books including Lightship,
You Rolling River, The Land is
Bright, The Laurels are Cut
Down, Peter Skeyeogden, and
Mrs. Fiske. His parents were
Frank Binns and Atlanta Sarah
Makwah. Archie has 3 brothers -
Robert, Graham, and Jack – and
Rebekah wonders if she is related
to a man named Jack Binns
who was the famous CQD officer
on the Republic when it was
sinking.
We also heard from Kathy Willems
who is also related to
Archie.
Kathy Willems and Rebekah Binns
about their Grandfather
Archie Binns
Page 3

Sara Sheldon Writes...
Before my grandfather died, he
received a very interesting book.
It is a family record book of
births and deaths hand-written
by David Binns, b.1721, d. 1801,
son of John and Abigail. It was
then given to his son Jonathan.
The listing starts with his parents
and keeps going. It has been
passed down through the family
to the present day. My mother
and her sisters are listed in it.
My mother does not know who
gave it to my grandfather, but
said it was right before he died.
My mother also has an Account
of Income and Expenses Received
for Jonathan Binns, b.
1789, son of Jonathan Binns and
Sarah Whalley, who died 1796.
His brother was David who
came to America. He was the
grandson of John and Abigail.
The book is from 1797 and
started at the death of his parents.
It is John Binns's handwri t-
ing, listing the account of the income
and expenses for his
grandson Jonathan after the
boy's parents died. The incomes
are from one end of the book and
then you turn it upside down and
the expenses are written from the
other direction. There are rents
listed received from Fairfield Estate
and allowed for the maintenance
for his grandson Jonathon.
Payments were twice a year. It
was kept till July 1810.
A Sad Death
From - The Times of December
28 th 1900
The death of Alfred Binns and
Ann Moses each 25 years of age
whose bodies were found at the
bottom of a clay pit, was the
subject of an adjourned inquest
yesterday morning at Leeds.
They had been attending a wed-
ding feast and were returning
home on Saturday night when, it
is supposed, they attempted to
take a short cut and, in doing so,
fell into a pit 61 feet deep, on
sharp stones. A witness who
found the bodies said the man
and woman were trespassing.
The jury returned a verdict of
Misadventure.
This could be Alfred’s family in
1881 living at 14 Neville Street,
Leeds - all born in Leeds.
Mary Ann Binns age 38, a
Widow and a Grocer, Walter
BINNS age 16, a Confectioner,
together with Frances E. age 14,
Clara age 11 and the, possible,
fateful Alfred then age 5.
Alderman Binns
Margaret Page of Kidderminster
drew our attention to The Valley
Gardens – Harrogate, which
Alan Titchmarsh has named as
his favourite public park. Although
developed gradually
from the late 18 th century onwards
a dramatic step forward
was taken in 1911 when, “
Alderman Binns forcibly incor-
porated a large area of council
land into the gardens by knocking
down the dividing wall himself
one night…”
The photograph shows a Sunday
afternoon family outing from York
to the Valley Gardens about 1951
Page 4

American Tales
Lenawee County, Michigan
Memories of Early Addison
Brad Hess wrote to tell us about
the references he found in Lenawee
County Library to the
Binns families who lived in the
Addison area. He quotes from
“Memories of Early Addison”,
Adrian Public Library, R
977.431:
"Father of Chester Binns is Rev.
Daniel Binns who came to Addison
with parents in 1835."
-
"Who doesn't remember Chester
Binns. His father, Rev. Daniel
Binns lived on a farm North of
Addison when we knew him. He
was active and very well and favorably
known in the ministry
for any years. Chester appeared
as a clerk in the general store of
Charles A. Smith in 1878, when
he as a very young man. In 1898
he acquired the business from
his former employer and then
continued the business for himself
for another stretch of twenty
years, when he moved to Detroit
to enter the employ of a...(next
page missing)"
"The first band we ever heard.
Arve Swartout, Fred Kline and
Fred Binns were among the musicians."
-
"Frank Binns has a deed to the
place on which he now lives
signed by President Martin Van-
Buren, which has never been out
of the family"
-
"Eighty Five years the principal
business of Addison, or of Jackson's
Mills, as it was then called,
was the grist mill, saw mill , one
or two cooper shops, a shoe
shop, a tavern, and a carding machine,
probably connected
closely with the old saw mill
close to where the city hall now
stands. This was run by the
Binns Brothers, Daniel and Joseph.
Daniel was the father in
law of Rev. DeWitt Mc. Louth
(Which I have a picture of) of
Addison. They were the sons of
James and Alice Binns, who
came from England to Pennsylvania
in 1817. One son, William
stayed in Pennsylavania and the
other four brothers (half brothers,
some of them) Josh, Joseph,
Wilson and Daniel, came to Addison.
John's sons were Joseph,
James and Richard. Joseph's
children were Charles, Gideon,
and Mrs. Tyler Newell. Wilson's
children were Agnes (Mrs.
George) Haight, Mary Smith,
and Mrs. Stella Whitney.
Daniel was the father of 13 children,
most of whom are living.
Several of them are well known
here, having lived here until recently.
Including Chester, an
Addison merchant for a long
time, and father of ex- Supt. Carl
Binns, now of Detroit; Edwin,
now in California and frequently
mentioned in the courier; Alberta
(Mrs. Albert) Lombard:
Ethel (Mrs. DeWitt) McLouth.
I think all the descendants of
these people are eligible for
Barnsley Connection
Eileen Martin wrote to us to tell
us about her Barnsley Binns connections.
They were mostly joiners,
carpenters and millwrights.
Jonas married Hannah nee
Crawshaw in Barnsley c.1750
and they had Charles 1751, John
1753, William 1755, Thomas
1757, Michael 1759, Anne 1762
and Sally 1765, who were all
born in Barnsley.
William married Elizabeth Addy
in 1783. They had children Mary
1783, William 1785, John 1788,
Thomas 1791, Samuel 1794,
Jonas 1795, Harriet-Ann 1797
and Elizabeth 1801 – all in
Barnsley. Jonas was a "man of
letters" - wrote verse perhaps in
support of the miners who were
taking action about the awful
conditions they endured; he died
in Troy USA (NY or Michigan
m a y b e ? ) in 1844.
Samuel became an iron founder.
Thomas built a house in 1820 for
his bride Christiana, then turned
it into a beerhouse (next door to
brother Samuel's foundry, so
there would be lots of dry
throats) and later built a larger
pub, the Dusty Miller, with a full
licence (i.e. could sell wine and
spirits as well as beer). Both
Thomas and Samuel died in middle
age, but father William lived
until he was 88.
Page 5

Letter from America
This letter from Arthur William Binns (1858-1931) was written in 1890 from Springfield, Ohio,
where he had settled with his wife, Emma Atha (1859-1929), who came from Hunslet. Arthur
William was an engineer, or engine driver as we would say, and the letter describes a visit he
made to San Francisco, California under the auspices of the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Firemen and Engineers. The original letter is now sadly lost but this early transcription is by
Joyce Kidd, to whom the editor is most grateful. Some of the language and expressions used
would not now be regarded as acceptable but they do add a period flavour to the story.
Dear Parents,
I will try to go on with my travels,
in the Golden West. I think I
had better give you my trip to
Monterey (pronounced Mont-eray).
On Tuesday morning, by
kind invitation of the Southern
Pacific Railway Co., we went
down to their Depot and took a
free trip to Monterey. There was
a special train of nine cars to
take us. The engine was gaily
decorated with flags and flowers
so we made quite a sensation at
all the towns we passed through.
We left San Francisco at 7.30 a.
m. and after getting out of town
we ran along the shore of the
bay, with a range of hills on our
right, the backbone of the land
between the bay and the Pacific
Ocean. There was nothing striking
in the scenery, level salt
meadows on one side and pleasant
farms and plantations on the
other running up to the hills,
which were mostly covered with
scrub oaks. The first town of any
size we stopped at was San Jose
(Joz-a), here the Railway Co.
sent a wagon load of Grapes
onto the train, we could scarcely
understand putting so many
boxes onto an excursion train.
As soon as the train got started
again, we found out what it
meant. The brakemen came into
the cars carrying the boxes with
the lids knocked off. Everybody
had to help themselves as they
went by. We were eating grapes
all the way to Monterey and all
the way back to Frisco, and
some of the boxes were unopened
yet, so I guess the station
hands would have a feast on
what we had left. We passed one
place where we could see some
of the effects of the Earthquake
of the previous year. A farm
house with new chimneys on it,
the old ones were shaken down.
About a quarter of a mile from
the house was a big steep hill.
There were streaks on it where
the ground had cracked and the
hill had slid down a little. I think
they must have got a pretty good
jarring about that place. We
crossed the hills and got in sight
of the Pacific about 11 a.m.,
shortly afterwards we passed the
town of Monterey and went on
to Pacific Grove, 2 or 3 miles
further; we were to stay here until
2 p.m. when the train was to
take us to Monterey to spend the
balance of the day. On our arrival
at Pacific Grove there was a
lot of Camp Meeting people to
meet us with a brass band. The
request was made for us to fall in
behind their music and march to
their grounds. We did so, and after
going a few hundred yards,
we came into a magnificent
grove of pine trees. The trees
were over 100 feet high, the
cones on them were 3 to 6 inches
long, and from the branches
hung a regular canopy of moss.
It was like a long light green
beard. I got hold of some that
hung down 4 feet. Under the
trees were numerous long tables,
all spread ready for dinner. The
leaders of the Methodist Conference
which was going on at the
time, bid us welcome to the Pacific
Coast and Pacific Grove especially.
After two or three of
them had made their speeches of
welcome they requested us to
take seats at the tables and enjoy
ourselves. The fare was good,
consisting of beef, pork, tongue,
pies, cakes, fruits, bread, butter,
vegetables, tea, coffee and water.
We did justice to the dinner and
complimented the ladies of the
meeting by the way we cleared
the tables. Each man was presented
with a fine buttonhole
bouqet and a Japanese napkin on
w h i c h was printed –
C o m p l i m e n t a r y to the
Brotherhood of Locomotive
Firemen, on the occasion of their
visit to Pacific Grove,
California, Tuesday, Sept 16 th ,
1890. A vote of thanks was
given to the ladies and then we
dispersed to take in the sights.
Page 6

Dettleback and I started off to
the beach, it is very rocky, a
poor place for boating or bathing,
so we amused ourselves
with scrambling about the rocks
and hunting for shells. Two or
three of the fellows slipped on
the seaweed and rolled into the
water, but there were no serious
casualties. I got a few shells, we
saw lots of crabs from the size of
a sixpence up to the size of a
dinner plate. I looked for an octopus
but I am happy to say I did
not find one. Several of the boys
got star f i s h e s
but I did not have that fortune;
I en- joyed myself
famously though. There was a
pretty little yacht anchored off
shore. I would have liked to take
a cruise in it, but I was not acquainted
with the owner so I
could not get a sail. The train
came up at 2 p.m. and whistled
for us to come, so we got on and
it took us to Monterey. On the
beach near the Station was a big
bathing pavilion. It had 4 or 5
swimming baths in it, the water
in each one was at a different
temperature so that each bather
could go into one that suited
him, they were filled with sea
water. You will see a picture of
it in the pamphlet I will send you
of the Hotel del Monte, and
Monterey. I did not bathe, so
walked along the beach looking
for curios but did not find any.
The beach of the Bay of Monterey
is clear sand for miles and
you do not find much in such
places. There were some porpoises
gambling about and that
amused me for time. There were
lots of sea birds and a fellow was
sat on the end of the pier shooting
at them, but I guess he was a
poor shot. He kept up a regular
sham battle, but only hit one. We
started out to walk to the Hotel
del Monte, it was a big mile
down the carriage drive from the
Station. I think it is the nicest
place of its kind I ever saw. The
grounds were laid out with
drives through the woods; on
each side of the roadways was a
wide border filled with flowers
and foliage plants interspersed
with cacti and other curious
plants, the cacti varied in size
from a cucumber to a man, some
of them were like a prickly ball,
two or more feet in diameter.
There is a lake and fountain in
the grounds. In one place was a
puzzle walk, the trick was to get
to the middle of it. You would
go in and turn one way and another.
You would hear people
talking and laughing just round
the corner. You expected to meet
them, when you came to the turn
no-one was there, so they must
have been in the walk on the
other side of the hedge. After
walking some time, probably
you would find yourself in a culde-sac
and have to turn back. I
tried it three times and each time
I thought I was just in the middle
I walked onto the outside. There
were only two or three of the
whole party that got to the centre
of it, I guess they all got out
again for I did not hear of anyone
turning up missing! The
grounds included a race track
and seventeen miles of carriage
drives. They have Chinese for
gardeners and the grounds are
kept in splendid order. There is a
Rustic Club House with Bowling
alley, but we contented ourselves
with sight seeing and did not try
any games of chance or skill. I
lost both big toenails with walking
so much.
A photographer from San Francisco
should have been there to
take our portraits with the front
of the Hotel for a background
but he failed to put in an appearance,
so the crowd escaped being
shot at. The pictures were to
have been 18x20 so that would
have taken a large camera. It is
no use trying to give any description
of the Hotel, the pictures
in the book will tell you all
about it. We walked back to the
Station and our train pulled out
at 6 p.m. for the return to San
Francisco. San Jose was lit by
electric lights, but we did not get
time for a feed, so we did not get
stuck on the town. We chewed
grapes all the way back so we
did not starve to death. We arrived
in Frisco at 10.30 all tired
but in good spirits.
[To be continued]
2216 E. Main St, Springfield, Ohio
Home of William Arthur Binns in
1930.
Page 7

The Organ Builder - James Jepson Binns
We heard in our last edition of the musical interests and exploits of our
co-editor Alan Binns and how he had learned of the organ builder James
Jepson Binns. Alan has now located an obituary for James who certainly
appears to have been a most interesting personality. It is quoted here in
full:
“ The late J. J. Binns.
James Jepson Binns, organ
builder, musician and idealist, of
Bramley, Leeds, passed away on
March 11 th , 1929, aged seventyfour
years. Over sixty-two years
of his life had been spent in organ
building. Born in the village
of Burley, near Leeds, he left
school at eleven years of age, at
his own desire, to apprentice
himself to Messrs. Radcliffe &
Sagar, organ builders, of Leeds:
seven years later, in January,
1875, he entered the firm of
Messrs. Abbott & Co. (now Abbott
& Smith) as a voicer. In
January 1880, Mr. Binns started
business on his own account in
small premises in Bramley Town
Street. In August, 1885, the present
works in Hough Lane,
Bramley, were opened. The present
premises were built by him,
and later on twice enlarged. The
Bramley Organ Works are now
claimed to be among the largest
and best equipped in England.
Throughout his life, Mr. Binns
maintained the keenest interest
in the building of organs, and
has left behind him a skilled and
efficient staff, many of whom
had served the firm for from
twenty to forty five years. Many
patents for improvements in organ
construction were taken out
by Mr. Binns, and these, combined
with the personal attention
given to each instrument, and his
great musical ability, have
placed the Binns organs among
the most beautiful and efficient
in existence. They are to be
found in many of the great buildings
of the world, including several
churches in Cape Town;-
Christ Church, Jerusalem,
Wesleyan Chapel: Pretoria;-
Catholic Church, as well as the
Catholic Church at St. Croix,
Dutch West Indies; the Congregational
Church at Durban; and
churches at Cape Colony. The
firm has supplied organs to practically
every town of importance
in the British Isles, a few of
them being:-
Aberdeen. - Cowdray Hall.
Bournemouth. - St Alban’s
Church.
Bristol. - St. Alban’s Church,
Westbury. Cambridge. –
Queen’s College.
Cardiff. – Tredegarville Baptist
Church. D a r l a s -
ton. – Town Hall.
Edinburgh. – Morningside U. F.
Church. G l a s gow. –
Springburn Hall.
Glasgow. Queen’s Park P. C.
Grasmere. – Parish
Church.
Leeds. – St. Aidan’s Church.
Liverpool. – Church of
the Sacred Heart.
London. – Kingsway Hall.
London. – Northampton
Polytechnic Institute.
Newcastle. –Jesmond Parish
Church. Newport (Mon). –
Great Central Hall.
Nottingham. – Castlegate Congregational
Church. Oxford. –
Jesus College.
Port Glasgow. - Town Hall
Portsmouth. – St. Anne’s
Church, Dockyard.
Portsmouth. – Guildhall.
Rochdale. – Town Hall.
Rochdale. – Baillie Street U. M.
Church. Shrewsbury. – St.
Mary’s Church.
Stoke-on-Trent. – Town Hall.
Parish Church. Swansea. – Walter
Road Congregational.
Church.
Tonbridge. – School Church.
West Hartlepool. – Town
Hall.
Yarmouth. – Parish Church.
Mr. Binns was a man of tireless
energy, and an idealist to whom
organ building was a divine art,
which merited the best he could
offer. Music was an absorbing
Page 8

interest, and he served it as an
accomplished organist and a fine
singer. As a boy he was a chorister
at his village church, and
later in life was choirmaster and
organist at three Leeds churches
successively and deputy organist
at two others at different times.
For some years also he was organist
at Tadcaster. Mr. Binns
wrote several hymn tunes, and
was particularly successful with
those for children’s use. He had
a fine baritone voice, and in his
youth was offered a position
with the Carl Rosa Company,
but perhaps wisely decided to
continue with the building of organs.
For many years Mr. Binns was a
prominent Churchman in Bramley,
and was a churchwarden of
St. Peter’s under three vicars. To
the branch churches at Hough
End and Newlay he presented
organs, and he was the donor of
the oak case for the west arch
and the Communion rail at St.
Peter’s. Mr. Binns’s social work
was tireless and extensive, and
particularly so during the war.
He had a great love of animals,
and it was with real regret that in
his business he replaced horses
with motors. Mr. Binns was
twice married, and leaves a
widow but no children. Throughout
his life he had the friendship
of many of the leading organists
and musicians of his day, and his
passing is deeply felt.”
Intriguing Tale
I can only tell you what I remember
about my grandfather.
He was Harold Lister Binns,
probably born around 1882 in
the Bradford area. As far as I
know he had only one brother
Jim (James) married to Ethel (a
midwife) and they lived in the
Bradford area too. They had one
son I believe whose name I can't
remember but he kept a dispensing
chemist shop also in Bradford
or Leeds or somewhere between.
Grandpa Binns went with
his parents to Finland when he
was a baby (I don't know if Jim
went or not he was the older
brother). I don't know what his
father did but he must have had a
reasonable job. Grandpa lived
there until age 18 or so. He was
always very proud of a pair of
silver backed moustache brushes
given to him by some high ranking
person in Finland when recovering
from a shooting accident.
He carried the scar on his
forehead and I understand the
bullet remained there also (this
may have been highly glamorised
to impress his granddaughter!).
Anyway he returned to the
Bradford area and lodged with a
would be singer by the name of
Gladys Turnbull (maybe) and
her family. He said he was unable
to speak much English at
that time. He presumably went
to work in a weaving factory and
spent much of his working life
with a company called Bergelas
Brothers (that may not be the
correct spelling). They were a
Jewish company. One of the
family was a magician who frequently
appeared on TV ...David
perhaps. [I remember him well
and was once entertained by him
at a dinner in London. Editor].
He married Mabel Officer and
they had one daughter (my
Mum) Dorothy Constance.
Mabel was injured in a car accident
when she was quite young
and was unable to walk unaided.
They were a very devoted couple
and ardent Yorkshire Cricket
fans. Of Great Uncle Eli I know
of my brother living in Dubai.
On the Officer side, if it helps,
Mabel had 2 brothers, John
(known) as Jack, and Frank. Jack
married but had no children.
Frank married and had one son.
There were also 2 sisters Ethel
who married and had no children
and Kathleen with a son and a
daughter. It seems all lived in the
Bradford/ Leeds area and obviously
my grandfather's family
were connected with the cloth/
woollen trade in some form
o r a n o t h e r .
That's all I can tell you. I have
also tried checking out Harold
on the internet but come up with
nothing. He was always
"Harold" never Harry or Henry
so it's odd isn't it? If you or any
of your thousands of Binns can
shed any light please give them
my email number. I enjoyed
reading your page by the way. It
w a s very interesting.
Diane Suzuki
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I grabbed i t and pi tched i t out before it exploded
Convicts and Robbery
Convicts
When Bill Mirfield, who has ancestors
in Haworth, was researching
in the New South
Wales Archives he came across
the following details on convicts:
James Binns, age 23, from Birmingham,
was tried at Warwick
in 1829 for highway robbery.
Sentenced to transportation for
life. Arrived in Australia on convict
ship “Lady Feversham” in
1830
-
James Binns, aged 21, from Lancashire
was tried, at Lancaster
Quarter Sessions in 1832, for
stealing poultry. He was sentenced
to 7 years transportation
and arrived in Australia aboard
the convict ship “Mary III” in
1883
-
John Binns, aged 18, from Dublin,
Ireland was transported to
van Diemans Land. The length
of sentence and the offence were
unknown but he was transferred
to Sydney and constantly ran
away from the places he was
sent to work. Finally after recapture
and punishment he was
shipped back to Hobart, Tasmania
to finish his sentence at the
infamous Macquarie Harbour.
-
Thomas Binns, age 29, from
Yorkshire, was a married man
with three children and was a
weaver and farm labourer. He
was tried, at Lancaster Quarter
Sessions, for stealing from a
warehouse and sentenced to 7
years transportation. He arrived
in Australia aboard the convict
ship “Waterloo” in 1838.
Robbers
In an earlier Binns Newsletter we talked about Halifax and the
Gibbet. Here' s the tale of what befell a Binns ancestor that could
have warranted its use, even though it was already out of operation
by this time.
This is from The Times of Tuesday
February 10 th 1835.
On Monday evening last, as Mr
William Binns of Ripponden,
surveyor of the Halifax and
Rochdale turnpike road, was returning
from Rochdale, he was
attacked by four men in the
guise of navigators or excavators
not far distant from the Coach
and Horses Inn on the Lancashire
side of Blackstone Edge.
They dragged him from his
horse and after severe struggle
succeeded in tearing away the
pocket from his smallclothes
[have any of you heard that term
before?], and robbing him of a
canvas purse marked 'W. B.',
two £5 notes, three sovereigns,
and some silver; also a penknife,
silver pencil case, and several
valuable memorandums. After
having deprived him of his property,
and having every opportunity
to escape, one of the villains,
while Mr Binns lay in the
ditch, gathered up a large stone
which he dashed upon his head
intending to deprive him of life
also, notwithstanding which Mr
Binns pursued them, but without
effect, as they decamped across
the moors. A coach immediately
afterwards drove up in which Mr
Binns was conveyed home, surgical
assistance procured, and
although dreadfully cut and
bruised about the head, we are
happy to say no serious consequences
are anticipated.
Page 10

Men of The Cloth
Unsurprisingly many of our
families have several generations
who earned a living from textiles
in one form or another, whether
they were wool combers, shalloon
or worsted weavers, mill
hands, bobbin winders, tailors,
or drapers. I’m sure the list could
be added to but how many were
in the ecclesiastical line?
Peter A Clark of Sidmouth
Devon sends us some extracts
form Crockford's Clerical Directories
1916-17 with the suggestion
that the listed “four Binns
may be the answer to someone’s
prayer”.
Rev. Gordon Henry Binns, B. A.
priest, 1912, Eastwood, Ripon.
Rev. Harry Kerr Binns, Deacon,
1875, Archdeacon of Mombassa
1910-14
Rev. Percy Edward Augustus
Binns, B. A. (Oxon) 1899, Odiham,
Hants.
Rev. Joseph Binns, B. Sc. Priest
1914, Bolton.
A Girl Called Alice - by David Robert Binns
Whenever I identify a new
"twig" for my family tree, the
first thing I try to do is to try to
obtain copies of the birth, death
and marriage certificates. I know
that not everyone works in this
way, but it seems to be more official
if its actually recorded on a
government document. On marriage
certificates in particular
there is a lot of useful information
to be gained. You can usually
identify the father, (and if
there isn't one, well that's inte r-
esting as well) and if you already
have information on the father
you can see what he has been
getting up to by looking at his
current occupation. You can
identify the name of their partner
and see what sort of family they
have come from. And you can
view the witnesses to the event.
One certificate which I received
was for my Great Grandfathers
step-sister Maria. She married
John William Atkinson on 24th
of December 1906, (why are
they always around Christmas?)
and this fact was witnessed
b y W i l l i a m
CROWTHER (don't know him)
and Alice BINNS (Who on earth
is Alice BINNS, I haven't "got
her"). So the search was on for
Alice. Obviously an Aunt or
Great Aunt or someone of that
description who was reliable,
probably a pillar of society and
probably lived fairly local? Records
were searched, microfiche
were viewed, but I didn't have
much to go on except my good
old reliable gut feeling, (and
have I got a gut). This lasted
several months, until the realisation
that I didn't have enough to
go on and that I would have to
wait until my research had developed
further. Then a few
weeks ago my wife and I went to
the local FHC, (no its not a pub)
and were looking at the fiche for
the 1991 census in Hunslet, in
particular for my G.G.
Grandfather Albert and his family.
We were lucky and found
their address quite quickly.
There was Albert and his second
wife Ann, my great grandfather
William Henry was not there so
had probably left home, (he
would marry in a years time) and
there was Maria now ten years
old. Also there was Arnold, (that
was his mothers maiden name)
and ALICE as a two year old.
FOUND HER, she turned out to
be Maria's LITTLE SISTER,
who would have been seventeen
at the time of Maria's marriage. I
felt so excited it was as if I had
won the lottery. So now I had to
Page 11

find her details in the St Catherine's
fiche to be able to send
for her certificates. The best fit
that I found was for an Alice
Amelia, born about the right
time and at the right place, so I
then searched for marriages from
seventeen years of age and found
an Alice Amelia again at the
right place, so I sent for both
certificates. BINGO I now have
her birth and marriage certificates
so I could work out that
she was nineteen, nearly twenty
when she got married,
(so why is her age given as
twenty nine?). A look down the
witnesses shows that her father
made his mark, but with sadness
I noted that in thirty-six days
time he would be dead.
D a v i d R Binns
In his searches for Binns ancestors
in the Leeds and Hunslet areas
David has acquired the following
certificates and has
kindly asked that we pass them
on to anybody who is related:
Birth August 1894, Hunslet,
Harriet Binns, father William,
mother Harriet Coulson
Birth January 1848, Leeds,
John Binns, father John, mother
Mary Ann Newsome
Marriage March 1859, Manchester,
Thomas Binns (26) father
Joseph Binns both hatters
with Matilda Catlow (18) father
George Catlow also hatter, witnesses
Alfred and Ernest Catlow.
Marriage March1862, Hunslet,
Thomas Binns (21) father Joseph
Binns with Ann Ellis (21)
Marriage May 1915, Hunslet,
Robert Dockerty (20) with Harriet
Leedham Binns (19) father
not recorded.
Marriage May 1920, Sowerby
Bridge, Charley Sacker(23) with
Eliza Hannah Binns(22) father
Albert Binns;
Marriage November 1927, Sunderland,
Ernest Hebron (23) with
Eliza Binns (26) father John
Benjamin Binns, witness Harriet
Suthern Binns
Death May 1918, Hunslet,
Sarah Jane Binns, age 42, widow
of Alfred
Further More ……….
I hope you have enjoyed reading
about the activities of your
Binns ‘cousins’ past and present
and if you feel inspired to send
your own stories and especially
those with photographs, in any
shape or form you wish, then all
contributions will be gratefully
received.
I think also that a further apology
is due to those of you, both
with or without internet
connections, who have sent interesting
articles and snippets.
Many of these have not been included
in this edition, mainly because
I feel that it is more important
to get something out rather
than to make it comprehensive.
However I hope you will be
pleased to hear that we are already
working towards the next
issue for Spring 2005.
Finally I would like to record my
thanks to my wife Elaine for organising
the lay-out and design
of the publication and to emphasise
that I take full responsibility
for any errors or omissions.
David Binns.
We’re on the Web at thebinnsfamily.org.uk
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