(631) Bingham of Newbrook and Bingham Castle, Barons Clanmorris

Bingham, Barons Clanmorris 

My third post on the Bingham family concerns the descendants of Sir George Bingham (d. 1599) [for whom see my post on the Bingham family, Earls of Lucan] who settled at Newbrook (Co. Mayo) and became Barons Clanmorris at the time of the Union. The genealogy below begins with John (or possibly Richard) Bingham, who is usually said to be the son of Sir George, although their respective dates make it much more likely that he was a grandson. He had two known sons: John Bingham (d. 1707), who was an officer in the army and settled at Newbrook (Co. Mayo), but who died without surviving issue; and Charles Bingham (d. 1691), who was killed at the Battle of Aughrim in the Williamite Wars in 1691, but who did leave a family. His eldest son was the Rt. Hon. Henry Bingham (1688-1743), who was a significant player in Irish politics for much of the early 18th century, and who became a member of the Irish privy council and one of the Lords Justices of Ireland (who in effect held the Lord Lieutenancy in commission during vacancies). He married a daughter of John Vesey, Archbishop of Tuam, and together they had two sons and six daughters. His eldest son, and the heir to Newbrook, was John Bingham (1714-80), but it was his second son, Henry Bingham (1715-69), who continued his father's political activities. Henry was married three times but left no children, but John was more fortunate. His eldest, and probably only surviving, son was Henry Bingham (1739-89), who was perhaps the first of the family to be sent to England for education, although he is not known to have attended a university in either England or Ireland. He was MP for Tuam alongside his uncle of the same name between 1761 and 1768 (which must have been very confusing!), and in 1761 married Letitia Daly, who brought him property in Co. Galway. Henry and Letitia had three sons and six daughters, of whom the eldest son, John Bingham (1762-1821) inherited the Newbrook estate and the family's control of the two parliamentary seats at Tuam. When the British government needed to secure a majority in the Irish parliament to push through the Union of Britain and Ireland, John Bingham let it be known that he would support whichever side offered him the greatest inducement. This proved to be the Government, which compensated him for the disenfranchisement of the two seats at Tuam with £15,000 and granted him a peerage, as Baron Clanmorris.

Lord Clanmorris was succeeded in turn by his two sons, Charles Barry Bingham (1796-1829), 2nd Baron Clanmorris, and Denis Arthur Bingham (1808-47), 3rd Baron Clanmorris. The former, who is said to have been the handsomest man in Ireland, but who suffered from delicate health, was married but had no children. Denis married Maria Helena Persse (c.1802-99), the daughter of a family noted for their close association with fox-hunting and other sports in the west of Ireland, who lived to be 96. They had six sons and three daughters, and the sons had varied and interesting careers.

Cregaclare (Co. Galway).

Unfortunately the family seat at Newbrook burned down in 1833, and was not repaired or replaced, although the estate remained in the family until the impact of financial difficulties and land reform in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The family retreated to a house called Cregclare, now Cregaclare (Co. Galway), which they first leased and purchased in the 1850s. This was a two-storey, five-by-three bay house, said to have been built in 1802, of which only fragmentary ruins now remain. The 3rd Baron's eldest son, John Charles Robert Bingham, 4th Baron Clanmorris, lived at Cregclare throughout his life, and was buried in a mausoleum constructed within the shell of a medieval church on the demesne. His widow, Sarah Selina (c.1826-1907) was also buried there, but their remains were removed and reinterred at nearby Ardrahan (Co. Galway) in 1947. John was succeeded by his eldest son, John George Barry Bingham (1852-1916), 5th Baron Clanmorris, who seems to have lived for sport and foreign travel, an expensive combination which whittled away the 18,000 acres he had inherited and led to the leasing of Cregclare, and in 1899 to bankruptcy.  Happily, he was married to the daughter and heiress of the Wards of Bangor Castle (Co. Down), so there was still somewhere for him, his wife and ten children to live, but on his wife's death in 1941 Bangor Castle passed to another branch of the Ward family, and the Barons Clanmorris ceased to be country house owners.

The younger sons of Henry Bingham (1739-89) of Newbrook were Henry Bingham (c.1767-1807) and Denis Bingham (c.1769-1842). Henry was a barrister, educated in England and Dublin, who probably spent his whole working life in Dublin. Some mystery attaches to Denis's career; he spent some five years as a cavalry officer in the British army, retiring in 1790 with the rank of Lieutenant, but in the mid-1790s he pops up in Co. Mayo as 'Major Bingham' and buys lands on the windswept western edge of Co. Mayo. It is possible that he held a militia appointment after leaving the army but I can find no record of this and his majority may have just been invented. At some point, perhaps c.1820, he built a dramatically Gothick house called Bingham Castle on the coast of Co. Mayo which remained the home of this branch of the family until the 1920s. Denis is known to have had at least seven children with a woman called Katherine Geraghty, but the illegitimacy of his eldest son was explicitly stated in a court case in 1843, after he had tried to forge his father's will. It is at least implied in the reports of the case that Denis's other children were born in wedlock, and they included two other sons, including Maj-Gen. Henry Bingham (c.1807-78), whose seat was later Wolverton House, Dalkey (Co. Dublin). It is surprising, therefore, that Denis bequeathed Bingham Castle to none of his sons, but to Denis Bingham (1818-1902), the eldest son of his daughter Anne (c.1797-1882), who had married her first cousin, Robert Augustus Bingham (c.1797-1828), the son of Denis' brother Henry Bingham. Robert Augustus Bingham had died in a bizarre accidental shooting at his house in Co. Mayo before Major Bingham wrote his will, and the young Denis Bingham inherited at the age of 24. His marriage in 1846 brought Carne House (Co. Mayo) into the family, and this was settled on his second son, Gerald Henry Bingham (1855-1947), who later sold it to meet his debts. Bingham Castle was reserved for Denis' eldest son, Denis George Charles Arthur Bingham (1849-76), but he died well within his father's lifetime. He did, however, marry and leave two sons, the elder of whom, Denis George Broad Bingham (1875-1953) succeeded his grandfather as owner of Bingham Castle in 1902. He seems to have stuck to the property all through the difficult years of the Irish revolution and civil war only to abandon the house in about 1929 and move to Poole (Dorset), where he named his house 'Newbrook'. Bingham Castle was subsequently pulled down and the stonework used to improve the local sea defences. D.G.B. Bingham was married but had no children, and this branch of the family, and their connection with Co. Mayo, came to an end with his death.

Newbrook, Claremorris, Co. Mayo

A mid to late 18th century house of two storeys above a basement, possibly to be attributed to William Leeson, which was probably built by John Bingham (1714-80). The seven-bay entrance front had a doorcase with blocked engaged Doric columns and a pediment, and a broad flight of steps leading up to the door. The adjoining front, also of seven bays, had the central three bays stepped forward, and the lower windows of the centre were longer than those in the bays to either side. The rooms are said to have been spacious but not very lofty.

Newbrook House: the ruins of the house in the late 19th century.

In December 1833, while the house was tenanted by Lord Clanmorris' brother-in-law, Parsons Persse, it was gutted by a fire which is said to have burned for eight days, and it was not rebuilt.

Descent: John Bingham (c.1655-1707); to nephew, Rt. Hon. Henry Bingham (1688-1743); to son, John Bingham (1714-80), who probably rebuilt the house; to son, Henry Bingham (1739-89); to son, John Bingham (1762-1821), 1st Baron Clanmorris; to son, Charles Barry Bingham (1796-1829), 2nd Baron Clanmorris; to brother, Denis Arthur Bingham (1808-47), 3rd Baron Clanmorris; burned 1833 and abandoned. 

Bingham Castle, Belturbet, Co. Mayo

A large symmetrical Gothic castle, said to have been built for Denis Bingham (c.1769-1842), who acquired the estate after he left the army in 1790. With its big three storey machicolated towers, however, the castle surely cannot date from the 1790s and is more likely to date from the 1810s, when the influence of John Nash had permeated into Ireland and popularised such features. It is possible that the building was designed by James and George Richard Pain, who worked in a not dissimilar style at Dromoland Castle in 1826.

Bingham Castle: engraving of 1836 showing the castle

Bingham Castle, as shown on OS 6" map of 1838. Note the line of towers to the east.

The towers stand either side of a three bay, two storey centre, with a turreted central feature and a projecting porch, while an engraving of 1836 shows screen walls either side of the house leading to further towers, one of which housed a chapel of ease. A plan of 1838 shows buildings built against the back of the screen wall to the left of the house, but later photographs show only the screen wall and tower on the west, and it is evident that the matching features to the east of the house were demolished in the 19th century. 

Bingham Castle: photograph of the house c.1915.

The 1838 plan shows that the line of the screen wall was continued further east by field boundaries to three further towers, which may have been intended to add to the drama of the composition as seen from the sea to the north. Nothing is known of the interiors of the house, which may well have been classical rather than Gothic. The house was abandoned in about 1929 and subsequently demolished, with much of the stonework being used to strengthen local sea defences.

Descent: built for Denis Bingham (c.1769-1842); to grandson, Denis Bingham (1818-1902); to grandson, Denis George Broad Bingham (1875-1933); abandoned c.1929 and subsequently demolished.

Bingham of Newbrook, Barons Clanmorris

Bingham, John or Richard. Usually said to be the son, but more probably the grandson, of Sir George Bingham (d. 1599) and his wife Cecily, daughter of Robert Martyn of Athelhampton (Dorset) [for whom see my previous post on the Bingham family of Castlebar and Laleham House, baronets and Earls of Lucan]. He married and had issue including:

(1) John Bingham (c.1655-1707), born about 1655; educated at Middle Temple (admitted 1682); an officer in the Duke of Ormonde's regiment of foot (Capt. by 1685); High Sheriff of Co. Mayo, 1686, 1691-92; Deputy Governor of Co. Mayo, 1699; MP for Castlebar, 1692-93 and for Co. Mayo, 1695-99, 1703-07; acquired lands in Co. Mayo c.1685 and settled at Newbrook; married, 30 June 1684, Mary, daughter of Rt. Hon. George Lane (c.1620-83), 1st Viscount Lanesborough, but had no surviving issue; died 1706/7;

(2) Charles Bingham (1664-91) (q.v.).

He lived at Bellanaloobe (Co. Mayo).

His date of death is unknown. His wife's date of death is unknown.

Bingham, Charles (1664-91). Second son of John or Richard Bingham and his wife, born about 1664. Educated at Trinity College, Dublin (admitted 1682) and Grays Inn (admitted 1688). An officer in the army in Ireland (Maj.). He married Mary (d. 1705), second daughter of Henry Blennerhassett, and had issue including:

(1) Rt. Hon. Henry Bingham (1688-1743) (q.v.);

(2) Lettice Bingham (d. 1728); married, as his second wife, her cousin Sir Henry Bingham, 3rd bt.; died 1728; will proved 1728;

(3) John Bingham (d. 1728), probably of this family; MP for Castlebar, 1715-27; died 1728.

He lived at Foxford (Co. Mayo).

He was killed at the Battle of Aughrim, 22 July 1691. His widow died at Castle Hassett (Co. Fermanagh), 1705; administration of his wife's goods was granted to their son, 15 April 1705.

Bingham, Rt. Hon. Henry (1688-1743). Only recorded son of Maj. Charles Bingham (1664-91) and his wife Mary, second daughter of Henry Blennerhassett of Enniskillen (Co. Fermanagh). Educated at Galway and Trinity College, Dublin (admitted 1705). High Sheriff of Co. Mayo, 1712-13. He was a Tory in politics and was MP for Co. Mayo, 1707-14 and for Castlebar, 1715-43, but he appears to have accommodated himself to the Hanoverian succession while remaining Tory in outlook. Like his father-in-law, he is said to have served as one of the Lord Justices of Ireland (effectively, one of the commissioners for the Lord Lieutenancy during a vacancy). He was also a Trustee of the Linen Board for Ulster, 1739-43 and a Commissioner of the Tillage Act for Connaught, 1736, 1739-43. He was sworn of the Irish Privy Council, 1735. He married, c.1708, Anne (1684-1737), fifth daughter of John Vesey (1638-1716), Archbishop of Tuam, and had issue:

(1) Ann Bingham (b. 1709?; fl. 1743), eldest daughter; probably the child of this name baptised at St Peter & St Kevin, Dublin, 25 August 1709; in 1728 acted as executor to her aunt, who left her a house in Dublin, and in 1744 as executor of her father; probably died unmarried;

(2) John Bingham (1714-80) (q.v.);

(3) Henry Bingham (1715-69), born 1715; educated at Trinity College, Dublin (admitted 1733; BA 1738; hon. LLD, 1762) and Middle Temple (admitted 1739); barrister-at-law in Ireland (called 1744); MP for Tuam, 1750-60, 1761-68; portreeve of Castlebar, 1757; recorder of Tuam, 1756-61; JP for Co. Mayo, 1752, 1756 and for Tuam, 1755-60; lived at Castle Burke (Co. Mayo); married 1st, Cornelia Tighe, 2nd, May 1751, Elizabeth Tucker (d. 1760), and 3rd, 1762, Cordelia Horish, but had no issue; died 15 April 1769; will proved in Dublin, 13 May 1769;

(4) Susanna Bingham (d. 1783); probably the woman of this name who married, 1754 (licence 11 June), Rev. Dr. John Forster (c.1707-88), Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin and Professor of Laws, 1743-59; rector of Tullyaughnish, 1759-67, Drumragh (Co. Derry), 1767-88, vicar of Rathmullen, 1769-83 and rector of Killyleagh (Co. Down), 1783-88, but had no issue; buried at Donnybrook (Co. Dublin), 24 August 1783;

(5) Catherine Bingham (c.1718-87); married, 10 February 1745/6 at St Peter & St Kevin, Dublin, Rev. Chamberlin Walker (1720-73), rector of Rosconnell (Co. Kilkenny), vicar of Abbeyleix (Co. Leix), 1753-73  and rector of Ballyroan (Co. Leix), 1756-72, son of Sir Chamberlain Walker, kt., and had issue at least two sons and two daughters; died 29 March 1787;

(6) Rebecca Bingham; married, 1753, Charles Hamilton of Dublin, merchant;

(7) Dorothy Bingham; unmarried in 1743;

(8) Mary Bingham; married, 1729, Joshua Cooper (c.1695-1757) of Markree (Co. Sligo) (who m2, 1747, Mary Grier alias Mercer), and had issue at least three sons; perhaps died before 1743 as she is not mentioned in her father's will.

He inherited Foxford from his father and Newbrook from his uncle and came of age in 1709.

He died 5 December 1743; his will was proved in 1744. His wife died in 1737.

Bingham, John (1714-80). Elder son of Rt. Hon. Henry Bingham (1688-1743) and his wife Anne, daughter of John Vesey, Archbishop of Tuam, born 1714. Educated in Dublin and at Trinity College, Dublin (admitted 1732; hon. LLD, 1744). MP for Tuam, 1739-60; Governor of Co. Mayo in absence of Lord Tyrawley, 1746-53 and in his own right, 1754-59; High Sheriff of Co. Mayo, 1753; a Commissioner of the Tillage Act for Connaught, 1733-80. He married, 1 June 1738, Frances, eldest daughter and co-heir of Sir Arthur Shaen, 2nd bt., of Kilmore, and had issue including:

(1) Henry Bingham (1739-89) (q.v.);

(2) Arthur Bingham (fl. 1743);

(2) Mary Bingham (fl. 1789).

He inherited Newbrook from his father in 1743.

He died before 24 October 1780. His wife's date of death is unknown.

Bingham, Henry (1739-89). Elder son of John Bingham (1714-80) and his wife Frances, eldest daughter and co-heir of Sir Arthur Shaen, 2nd bt., of Kilmore, baptised 7 November 1739. Possibly educated at Eton, 1756-57. MP for Tuam, 1761-68; Sovereign (i.e. Mayor) of Tuam, 1789. He married, 19 October 1761, Letitia, daughter of Denis Daly of Raford (Co. Galway), and had issue:

(1) John Bingham (1762-1821), 1st Baron Clanmorris (q.v.);

(2) Anne Bingham (c.1765-86), eldest daughter, born about November 1765; married, December 1778, Christopher French (later St. George) (1754-1826), of Tyrone House (Co. Galway) (which he built in 1779), and had issue at least four sons; died at Newbrook, 4 March 1786 and was buried at Drumacoo Cemetery, Kilcolgan (Co. Galway);

(3) Henry Bingham (c.1767-1807) [for whom see below, Bingham of Bingham Castle];

(4) Denis Bingham (c.1769-1842) [for whom see below, Bingham of Bingham Castle]

(5) Frances Bingham (d. 1806?); living in 1789 and probably the woman of this name who died unmarried in Grafton St., Dublin, about May 1806;

(6) Letitia Bingham (fl. 1789); 

(7) Charlotte Bingham (fl. 1789); 

(8) Harriet Bingham (fl. 1789); 

(9) Louisa Bingham (fl. 1789).

He inherited Newbrook from his father in 1780.

He died in December 1789 and was buried in the chapel attached to Bingham Castle, where he was commemorated by a monument; his will was proved 13 March 1790. His widow married 2nd, 1794, Brig. Walter Blake (c.1761-1816), third son of Sir Walter Blake, 10th bt.; her date of death is unknown.

Bingham, John (1762-1821), 1st Baron Clanmorris. Eldest son of Henry Bingham (1739-89) and his wife Letitia, daughter of Denis Daly of Raford (Co. Galway), born 1762. An officer in the Carra Cavalry (Capt., 1796). He stood unsuccessfully for parliament in Co. Mayo in 1790, and fought a duel with Denis Browne of Westport, whom he accused of being 'a [Dublin] Castle hack'; both men avoided injury after Browne deliberately fired his second shot in the air. He was elected MP for Tuam, 1797-1800 on his own interest, and during the debate about the union of Great Britain and Ireland, made it clear that he intended to sell the votes of his two parliamentary seats at Tuam to the highest bidder; he was eventually compensated for their loss with £15,000 and a peerage as Baron Clanmorris, which was created 31 July 1800. A correspondent wrote to Lord Downshire that 'Bingham is a ruffian in his manners, so I wish your Lordships joy of him'. He was also appointed Escheator of Munster in 1800, which may have been an additional reward for his support of the Union. His estates were reckoned to yield some £10,000 a year in the early 19th century. He married, 21 May 1791, the Hon. Anne Maria (1775-1865), only daughter of Rt. Hon. Barry Yelverton (1736-1805), 1st Viscount Avonmore, and had issue:

(1) Charles Barry Bingham (1796-1829), 2nd Baron Clanmorris of Newbrook (q.v.);

(2) Hon. Letitia Maria Zaida Bingham (d. 1832); married, 1815 (licence), perhaps as his second wife, Robert Joseph Ffrench (c.1770-1831) of Rahasane (Co. Galway); died 23 October 1832 and was buried in the Catholic cemetery at Florence (Italy), where she is commemorated by a monument;

(3) Hon. Louisa Catherine Bingham (d. 1891); married, 1838, her cousin, Rev. Benjamin Chapman Frederick Yelverton (d. 1849) of Ballea (Co. Offaly), second son of Hon. Walter Aglionby Yelverton (1772-1824), and had issue two daughters; died 14 May 1891;

(4) Hon. Anna Maria Bingham (d. 1866); married, about June 1829 at Toulouse (France), her cousin, Bentinck Walter Yelverton (1792-1837) of Bellew (Co. Offaly), eldest son of Hon. Walter Aglionby Yelverton (1772-1824), but had no issue; died 21 January 1866;

(5) Denis Arthur Bingham (1808-47), 3rd Baron Clanmorris of Newbrook (q.v.);

(6) Hon. Caroline Harriet Bingham (c.1809-24); died young and was buried at Hollymount churchyard, Kilcommon (Co. Mayo), April 1824;

(7) Hon. Julia Henrietta Francesca Bingham (d. 1864); apparently married [forename unknown] Cataliotti; died in Palermo, Sicily (Italy), 1864; will proved in Dublin (effects under £2,000).

He inherited Newbrook from his father in 1789.

He died at Newbrook, 18 May 1821; his will was proved in Dublin, 1823. His widow died at Penzance (Cornw.), 27 April 1865.

2nd Baron Clanmorris

Bingham, Charles Barry (1796-1829), 2nd Baron Clanmorris. Eldest son of John Bingham (1762-1821), 1st Baron Clanmorris, and his wife Hon. Anne Maria, only daughter of Barry Yelverton, 1st Viscount Avonmore, born 1796. He is said to have been the handsomest man in Ireland, although this is not something his portrait, reproduced here, necessarily conveys! He succeeded his father as 2nd Baron Clanmorris, 18 May 1821. He married, 1816 at Athenry (Co. Galway), Sarah (c.1795-1864), daughter of Walter Lambert of Castle Lambert (Co. Galway), but had no issue.

He inherited Newbrook from his father in 1821.

He died on board his yacht at Plymouth (Devon), 3 June 1829; his will was proved in Dublin, 1829. His widow married 2nd, 29 May 1830 at St Mark, Dublin, Edward Shadwell Hickman of Dublin, and had issue one son; she died 17 May 1864.

Bingham, Denis Arthur (1808-47), 3rd Baron Clanmorris. Second son of John Bingham (1762-1821), 1st Baron Clanmorris, and his wife Hon. Anne Maria, only daughter of Barry Yelverton, 1st Viscount Avonmore, born 12 January 1808. He succeeded his elder brother as 3rd Baron Clanmorris, 3 June 1829. He was a keen racehorse owner. He married, 1 May 1825 at Portpatrick (Wigtowns.), Maria Helena (c.1802-99), second daughter of Robert Persse of Roxborough (Co. Galway), and had issue:

(1) John Charles Robert Bingham (1826-76), 4th Baron Clanmorris of Newbrook (q.v.);

(2) Hon. Denis Arthur Bingham (1829-97), born at Rahasane (Co. Galway), 5/6 November 1829; educated at Rugby; lived in Paris (France), where he wrote a number of books on French military history, ranging from the French Revolution to a first-hand account of the Siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War; later settled at Cheltenham (Glos); married, 6 November 1864, Eugenie Colette Gabrielle de Lacretelle (d. 1893) of Burgundy, and had issue one daughter; died 8 July 1897;

(3) Hon. Dudley Persse Bingham (1832-67), born 1 February 1832; he was unmarried and without issue; died suddenly, after returning home from shooting at Foxford, 8 October 1867;

(4) Hon. Henry Charles William Bingham (1834-79?), born 2 February and baptised at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster (Middx), 25 May 1834; said to have died in 1879;

(5) Hon. Anna Maria Bingham (1836-1923), born 25 August 1836; married, 2 October 1856 at Bray (Co. Wicklow), Rev. Ferdinand Cotter Spiller (d. 1857), eldest son of William A. Spiller of Uplands, Bandon (Co. Cork), but had no issue; died 1 May 1923;

(6) Hon. Elizabeth Caroline Bingham (1837-1919), born 28 December 1837; married, 23 July 1856 at Bray (Co. Wicklow), St John Legh Clowes (1832-1915) of Torworth (Notts) and later of Charlton Park, Charlton Kings (Glos), son of Lt-Col. William Legh Clowes of Broughton Hall (Lancs), and had issue five sons and two daughters; died 21 September 1919;

(7) Hon. Albert Yelverton Bingham (1840-1907), born 11 February 1840; DL for Co. Mayo; after his second marriage lived at Stonebyers (Lanarks) and later rented Kitley House (Devon) for some years; married 1st, 24 June 1858 at  St Mary, Windermere (Westmld), Caroline (d. 1879), daughter of James Begbie MD, physician in ordinary to the Queen in Scotland, and had issue one son and two daughters; married 2nd, 20 March 1883 at St Peter, Eaton Sq., Westminster (Middx), Jean Crawford (d. 1924), only child and heir of Thomas Service of Stonebyers House (Lanarks), and had further issue one son (who died young); died 31 March 1907; will proved 16 October 1907 (estate £527);

(8) Hon. Barry John Bingham (1841-68), born at Brighton (Sussex), 3 September 1841; according to one press obituary, he was a physician educated at Trinity College, Dublin; married, 8 November 1866 at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster, Pauline Cecilia Anna Louisa (1835-1915), second daughter of Rev. Frederick Benjamin Chapman Yelverton and widow of Rowland A.G. Davies of Penzance (Cornw.), solicitor; died of sunstroke at Buenos Aires (Argentina), 23 May 1868; administration of goods granted to his widow, 11 December 1868 (effects under £600);

(9) Hon. Isabella Catherine Sarah Bingham (1843-1918), born 11 May 1843; lived at St Leonards-on-Sea (Sussex); died unmarried, 29 November 1918; administration of goods granted 21 January 1919 (estate £1,923).

He inherited Newbrook from his elder brother in 1829, but the house burned down while tenanted in 1833 and was not rebuilt. His widow lived latterly with her youngest daughter at St. Leonards-on-Sea.

He died at Rugby (Warks), 24 February 1847; his will was proved in the PCC, 20 April 1847. His widow died aged 96 on 27 August 1899; administration of her goods was granted to her daughter, 2 October 1899 (estate £270).

4th Baron Clanmorris 

Bingham, John Charles Robert (1826-76), 4th Baron Clanmorris. Eldest son of Denis Arthur Bingham (1808-47), 3rd Baron Clanmorris, and his wife Maria Helena, second daughter of Robert Persse of Roxborough (Co. Galway), born 28 November 1826. According to his obituarist, he was 'one of the most generous and kind-hearted landlords in Ireland' and he does seem to have been well regarded by his neighbours and tenants. He succeeded his father as 4th Baron Clanmorris, 24 February 1847. He married, 24 May 1849 at Lickerrig (Co. Galway), Sarah Selina (c.1826-1907), fourth daughter of Burton Persse of Moyode Castle (Co. Galway), and had issue:

(1) Hon. Matilda Maria Helena Bingham (1850-1943), born 27 April 1850; appointed OBE, 1919; married, 12 January 1871 at Ardraham (Co. Galway), Albert Brassey MP (1844-1918) of Heythrop House (Oxon), fourth son of Thomas Brassey, the famous railway contractor, and had issue three sons and five daughters; died 16 July 1943;

(2) John George Barry Bingham (1852-1916), 5th Baron Clanmorris of Newbrook (q.v.);

(3) Hon. Burton Percy Bingham (1853-98), born 11 September 1853; visited Australia in 1882 with his younger brother and Persse relations; a keen hunting man; married, 3 January 1895, Frances Matilda (d. 1935), third daughter of Burton Robert Parsons Persse of Moyode Castle (Co. Galway), but had no issue; died at Ivymount, Athenry (Co. Galway), 10 December 1898; will proved 20 April 1898 (estate £36);

(4) Hon. Bentinck Yelverton Bingham (1855-92), born 11 January 1855; emigrated to Queensland (Australia) where he became a runholder and later a station hand; became mentally ill and was admitted to a Queensland asylum, 1890, where he died, 6 August 1892;

(5) Hon. Florence Madeline Bingham (c.1856-1941), born about 1856; married 1st, 17 April 1873 at Ardrahan (Co. Galway), John Pollok (1850-91) of Lismany (Co. Galway), son of Allen Pollok, and had issue three sons and three daughters; married 2nd, 6 June 1895, possibly at the British Embassy in Paris, Maj. James David Barry (1857-1941) of Scribblestown Park (Co. Dublin), elder son of Rt. Hon. Charles Robert Barry, Lord Justice of Appeal in Ireland; died 20 December 1941; will proved 17 July 1942 (estate £3,403);

(6) Hon. Rose Elizabeth Bingham (1858-1935), born 10 February 1858; awarded Medaille de la Reconnaissance Francaise; author of Memoirs of the Binghams (1915); married, 29 September 1885 at Eyre Court (Co. Galway), Maj-Gen. Sir Hugh McCalmont KCB CVO (d. 1924), eldest son of James McCalmont of Abbeylands (Co. Antrim), and had issue; died at Funchal, Madeira (Portugal), 28 April 1935 and was buried at St Peter, Kilkenny (Co. Kilkenny); will proved 13 November 1935 (effects in England, £7,426).

He lived at Cregclare (Co. Galway).

He died at Lismany, Ballinasloe, 5 April 1876, and was buried in the Bingham mausoleum at Ardrahan (Co. Galway); administration of his goods was granted to his widow, 31 May 1876 (effects under £16,000). His widow died 28 November 1907; her will was proved 4 January 1908 (estate £482).

Bingham, John George Barry (1852-1916), 5th Baron Clanmorris. Elder son of John Charles Robert Bingham (1826-76), 4th Baron Clanmorris, and his wife Sarah Selina, fourth daughter of Burton Persse of Moyode Castle (Co. Galway), born 27 August 1852. Educated at Eton, 1866-69. An officer in the South Mayo militia (Lt.) and later in the army (Lt., 1874; retired 1878); ADC to Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 1876-78. DL for Co. Mayo and JP for Co. Galway and Co. Down. He succeeded his father as 5th Baron Clanmorris, 5 April 1876. A profile in the Irish Field in 1892 described his travels and sporting exploits; which included travelling round the world in 1885-86, visiting South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and South America, while another journey took him across Russia. He was a devotee of hunting, shooting, fishing, mountaineering and yachting, and was Master of the Galway Blazers Hunt, 1891-95, for whom he built new stables and kennels at his own expense; in return, the members of the hunt presented him with 'the largest silver cup ever made' in 1896. He succeeded his father as 5th Baron Clanmorris, 5 April 1876, and was declared bankrupt in 1899. He married, 27 June 1878 at Bangor (Co. Down), Matilda Catherine Maude (1858-1941), only child and heiress of Robert Edward Ward of Bangor Castle (Co. Down), and had issue:

(1) Arthur Maurice Robert Bingham (1879-1960), 6th Baron Clanmorris of Newbrook, born 22 June 1879; a page of honour to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 1889; educated at Eton; an officer in the army (2nd Lt., 1898; Lt., 1900; Capt., 1905; retired 1909; returned to colours, 1915-19), who served in the Boer War and First World War; ADC to Governor-General of New Zealand, 1904-07; succeeded his father as 6th Baron Clanmorris, 4 November 1916; married, 5 June 1907, Leila (c.1881-1969), fourth daughter of Gordon Cloete JP of Rosebank, Cape Town (South Africa), and had issue one son (later the 7th Baron*); died 24 June 1960; will proved in Belfast, 3 August 1960 (estate £1,140);

(2) Hon. John Denis Yelverton Bingham (1880-1940), born 11 August 1880; educated at Harrow and Royal Military College, Sandhurst; an officer in the army (2nd Lt., 1900; Lt., 1901; Capt., by 1912; Maj., 1919; Lt-Col., 1920; retired 1926), who served in South Africa, India, the First World War (mentioned in depatches), Ireland and Egypt; awarded DSO, 1918, and Legion d'honneur; he was a noted racehorse owner, polo player and amateur jockey; while serving in India he rode the winner of the Indian Grand National and in 1924 he competed for the British polo team at the Paris Olympics, winning a bronze medal; in 1925 he was cited as co-respondent in divorce proceedings between Capt. Frank Keith Simmons and his wife Amy, who were divorced in 1926, but he when married, 29 July 1926 at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster (Middx), his wife was not Amy Simmons but Vera Mary (1891-1972), eldest daughter of Maj. Francis Norman James Darbyshire of Sefton Park, Liverpool; they had issue two daughters; died 28 December 1940 and was buried at Stratton Cemetery, Cirencester (Glos), 1 January 1941; will proved 12 February 1941 (estate £9,620);

(3) Hon. Edward Barry Stewart Bingham (1881-1939), born 26 July 1881; educated at Arnold House, Llandulas (Denbighs.) and Royal Naval College, Greenwich; an officer in the Royal Navy (Sub-Lt.; Lt., 1903; Lt-Cdr.; Cdr., 1914; Capt., 1920; Rear-Adm., 1932; retired 1932), who served in the First World War (mentioned in despatches; VC, 1916, OBE, 1919, Russian Order of St. Stanislaus, 2nd class); prisoner of war, 1916-18; naval ADC to HM King George V, 1931-35; married, 18 May 1915 at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster (Middx) (div. 1937), Vera Maud Temple (1893-1972), daughter of Edward Temple Patterson, and had issue one son and one daughter; died 24 September 1939; administration of goods granted 11 December 1939 (estate £2,454);

(4) Hon. Harriette Ierne Maude Bingham (1882-1917), born 18 July 1882; married, 22 December 1908 at Bangor (Co. Down), Sir Herbert Lightfoot Eason CB CMG MD (1874-1949), medical superintendent of Guy's Hospital (who m2, 10 April 1920 at St Saviour, Southwark (Surrey), Hilda Margaret (1898-1977), daughter of Robert Wallace of Quidenham (Norfk), estate agent)), son of Edward Henry Physick Eason of Forest Hill, surveyor, and had issue one daughter; died 11 January 1917; administration of goods granted to her husband, 20 October 1925 (estate £165);

(5) Hon. Emily Ina Florence Bingham (1884-1957), born 3 March 1884; married, 25 November 1905, Herbert Dixon MP (1880-1950), later 1st Baron Glentoran, and had issue one son and four daughters; died 25 April 1957; will proved 13 September 1957 (estate £5,808);

(6) Hon. Hugh Terence de Burgh Bingham (1885-1957), born 31 December 1885; engineer (AMICE) with Indian State Railways from 1909 (Chief Engineer) served in Indian Defence Force, 1914-18; married, 2 November 1912 at Lahore (now Pakistan), Dorothea Minnie (1888-1976), third daughter of John Alexander Sinclair, barrister, of Lahore, and had issue two sons and one daughter; died 27 February 1957; administration of goods granted to his widow, 30 April 1957 (estate £191);

(7) Hon. Henry Derrick Thomas Bingham (1887-1902), born 17 October 1887; educated at Arnold House, Llandulas, where he died young of double pneumonia, 22 February 1902;

(8) Hon. Eleanor Clare Alice Bingham (1892-1972), born at Bangor (Co. Down), 18 January 1892; married, 15 September 1915 at Bangor, Maj. Harold Murray Fleming (1886-1953), only son of Col. Edward William Fleming of Belville (Co. Cavan), and had issue one son; died 24 November 1972; will proved 30 January 1973 (estate £99,023);

(9) Hon. George Roderick Bentinck Bingham (1894-1972), born at Bangor, 10 May 1894; educated at Cheltenham College; served in the army (2nd Lt., 1914; Lt., 1914; Capt.) in the First World War and in Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (Sq. Ldr.) in Second World War; emigrated to South Africa; married, 4 April 1921 at Lucknow (India), Barbara Melvill (b. 1891), youngest daughter of Col. Charles Henry Joubert de la Ferté MB IMS, but had no issue; died at Pietermaritzburg (South Africa), 10 December 1972;

(10) Hon. Richard Gerald Ava Bingham (1896-1918), born 8 March 1896; an officer in the Royal Air Force (2nd Lt.); killed in action, 8 October 1918, and was buried at Inchy-en-Artois (France); administration of goods granted in Dublin and sealed in London, 17 May 1919 (estate £106).

At first, he lived mainly at Cregclare and Seamount (Co. Galway). In 1883 his estates comprised 12,337 acres in Co. Mayo and 5,744 acres in Co. Galway, together worth £14,473 a year. His wife inherited a life interest in Bangor Castle (Co. Down) and it became their main home in Ireland.

He died 4 November 1916; his will was proved 21 December 1916 (estate £13,967). His widow died 14 February 1941; her will was proved in Belfast, 15 August 1941 (estate £15,722).

* John Michael Ward Bingham (1908-88), 7th Baron Clanmorris, was an MI5 officer during the Second World War and the Cold War, and also a detective novelist; his only son is the present Lord Clanmorris.

Bingham of Bingham Castle and Annagh House

Bingham, Denis (c.1769-1842). Third son of Henry Bingham (1739-89) and his wife Letitia, daughter of Denis Daly of Raford (Co. Galway), born c.1769. An officer in the 14th Light Dragoons and later 5th Dragoon Guards (Cornet, 1785; Lt., 1788; retired 1790); after his retirement he was always known as Major Bingham, though there seems to be no evidence he ever held this rank in the army or militia. He is said to have married, c.1795, Katherine Geraghty, and had issue:

(1) Anne Bingham (c.1797-1882), born about 1797; married, 1817 (licence 26 July), her first cousin, Robert Augustus Bingham (q.v.) and had issue three sons and three daughters; died 7 June 1882;

(2) Letitia Bingham (c.1799-75), born about 1799; lived with her brother at Wolverton House, Dalkey (Co. Dublin); died unmarried, 7 August 1875;

(3) Louisa Bingham (c.1800-72), third daughter, born about 1800; married, 6 September 1818, Villiers Bussy Fowler (c.1798-1848) of Dublin, solicitor and secretary of the Law Society of Ireland, who was declared of unsound mind in 1847, and had issue three daughters; drowned in the wreck of the SS Royal Adelaide off Dorset, 29 November 1872 and was buried at St John, Portland (Dorset);

(4) Maria Bingham (c.1805-71), born about 1805; died unmarried at Dalkey (Co. Dublin), 29 May 1871;

(5) Maj-Gen. Henry Bingham (c.1807-78), born about 1807; an officer in the army (2nd Lt., 1827; Lt., 1832; Capt., 1841; Maj., 1851; Lt-Col, 1857; Col., 1862; Maj-Gen., 1868; retired 1864); lived at Wolverton House, Dalkey (Co. Dublin); married, December 1839, Louisa French St. George (1813-80) and had issue three sons and one daughter; died 1 October 1878; will proved in Dublin, 4 December 1878 (effects under £300);

(6) Charles Bingham (fl. 1830); living in 1830, when he was allegedly assaulted at Binghamstown by John Shawe, the Chief Constable of Co. Mayo.

He also had an illegitimate son, reputedly born to the woman who became his wife before their marriage:

(X1) William Bingham (b. c.1794), born about 1794; he seems to have made a clumsy attempt to forge a will purporting to be made by his father in 1843; death not traced.

He built Bingham Castle (Co. Mayo) and founded the town of Binghamstown, c.1795. At his death Bingham Castle passed to his grandson and namesake, Denis Bingham (1818-1902).

He died 10 March 1842. His wife's date of death is unknown.

Bingham, Henry (c.1767-1807). Second son of Henry Bingham (1739-89) and his wife Letitia, daughter of Denis Daly of Raford (Co. Galway), born about 1767. Educated at Trinity College, Dublin (admitted 1784), Lincoln's Inn (admitted 1788), St Mary Hall, Oxford (matriculated 1791) and King's Inns (called 1794). Barrister-at-law. He married, 15 April 1792 (licence 17 March), Anne (b. c.1765), 'an heiress of large fortune', daughter of Robert Bodkin of Annagh House (Co. Galway), and had issue:

(1) Maria Henrietta Elizabeth Bingham (c.1793-1876), born about 1793; died unmarried, 10 January 1876;

(2) Henry Bingham; eldest son; probably died young;

(3) Anna Sarah Augusta Bingham (c.1795-1874), born about 1795; died unmarried, 14 February 1874;

(4) Robert Augustus Bingham (c.1797-1828) (q.v.);

(5) Rev. Denis John Charles Bingham (c.1801-32); educated at Trinity College, Dublin (admitted 1818; BA 1822; MA 1825); ordained deacon, 1827; married, 24 June 1827 at Turlough (Co. Mayo), Sarah, daughter of Luke Higgins of Castlebar; said to have died 1832;

(6) Harriet Catherine Anna Bingham (1801-72); married Benjamin Jennings of Mount Jennings (Co. Mayo) and had issue at least two sons and five daughters; died 6 October 1872.

He probably lived in Dublin.

He died in Glamorganshire, December 1807. His wife's date of death is unknown.

Bingham, Robert Augustus (c.1797-1828). Second son of Henry Bingham (c.1767-1807) and his wife Anne, daughter of Robert Bodkin of Annagh House (Co. Galway), born about 1798. Educated at Trinity College, Dublin (admitted 1813). He married, 1817 (licence 26 July), his cousin Anne (c.1797-1882), eldest daughter of Maj. Denis Bingham of Bingham Castle, and had issue:

(1) Denis Bingham (1818-1902) (q.v.);

(2) Maria Louisa Bingham (c.1819-73); married, 29 August 1846, George Joseph d'Arcy (c.1821-74), perhaps of Hyde Park (Co. Westmeath), and had issue one son and one daughter; died 4 April 1873;

(3) Henry Bingham (c.1823-94), born about 1823; settled at Annagh House aka Bingham Lodge, Belturbet (Co. Mayo); married 1st, 1 September 1846 at Westport (Co. Mayo), Margaret F. McGreal and had issue one son; married 2nd, 25 May 1876 at Kingstown (Co. Dublin), Maria, fifth daughter of Benjamin Jennings of Mount Jennings (Co. Mayo) and had issue one son who died in infancy; died 27 March 1894 and was buried at Belmullet (Co. Mayo); will proved 22 August 1894 (effects £5,429);

(4) Robert Augustus Bingham (c.1825-47), born about 1825; died unmarried, 4 October 1847;

(5) Anne Bingham (c.1827-97), born about 1827; died unmarried aged 70 in a fire at her home in Kingstown (Co. Dublin), 17 March 1897; administration of goods granted 18 June 1897 (effects in England & Wales, £572);

(6) Letitia Bingham; living in 1894; died unmarried, but death not traced.

He lived at Ballykinlettea Lodge. His wife lived latterly at Sandycove, Kingstown (Co. Dublin).

He died after being accidentally shot in his own home by a surveyor called Knight whom he had employed to work on improving estate roads, 21 March 1828. His widow died 7 June 1882.

Bingham, Denis (1818-1902). Eldest son of Robert Augustus Bingham (c.1797-1828) and his wife Anne, eldest daughter of Maj. Denis Bingham of Bingham Castle, born 8 September 1818. An officer in the North Mayo Regiment of Militia (Lt., 1846; Capt., 1851); JP for Co. Mayo. In 1843 he was described by his uncle, Henry Bingham, as 'a hot-headed young man'. He married, 19 February 1846, Elizabeth Elinor (1822-94), only child and heiress of Arthur Nash of Carne House (Co. Mayo), and had issue:

(1) Adelaide Elizabeth Bingham (c.1847-85); married, 10 July 1867, Henry Tilson Shaen Carter (1846-82), who by 1880 was a person of unsound mind, eldest son and heir of Thomas Shaen Carter (1813-75) of Watlington Park (Oxon), but had no issue; died in Dublin, 1 February 1885; administration of goods granted to her father, 9 June 1885 (effects £1,240);

(2) Denis George Charles Arthur Bingham (1849-76) (q.v.);

(3) Constance Letitia Anne Bingham (1853-84); married, 1873, Cochrane E. Palmer, eldest son of Robert Palmer JP of Beckfield House (Co. Leix);

(4) Elizabeth Clara Bingham (1854-80); died unmarried, 17 November 1880; administration of goods granted to her father, 11 March 1880 (effects under £200);

(5) Gerald Henry Bingham (1855-1947), born 6 July 1855; educated at Eton; lived at Carne House (Co. Mayo), which he sold to meet his debts, and later at Binghamstown House (Co. Mayo); married, 5 December 1877 at St Anne, Dublin, Augusta Cecilia Yelverton (1858-1927), daughter of Rowland Augustus Griffith Davies of Tredinick (Cornw.), and had issue two sons and six daughters; died at Binghamstown, 4 March 1947;

(6) Richard Lionel Nash Bingham (1856-1901), born 29 October 1856; emigrated to the United States of America in 1876; married, 3 April 1889 at Bowie, Texas (USA), Callie Elizabeth Elliot (1872-96), and had issue one son; died at Stamps, Lafayette, Arkansas (USA), 25 July 1901;

(7) Robert Milcombe Bingham (1858-64), born 31 August 1858; died young, 12 February 1864;

(8) Frances Anne Shaen Bingham (1860-73), born about 1860; died young, 30 July 1873;

(9) Ernestine Elizabeth Bingham (c.1862-71), born about 1862; died young, 24 January 1871;

(10) Viola Alexandra Bingham (1865-1921), born 24 March 1865; married, 6 June 1885 at Bingham Castle, by special licence of Archbishop of Tuam, Lt. Arthur Tilson Shaen Carter RN (1851-94), son of Thomas Shaen Carter of Watlington Park (Oxon), and had issue two sons; died in Portsmouth Corporation Mental Hospital, 27 February 1921; administration of goods granted 28 February 1922 (estate £693).

He inherited Bingham Castle from his grandfather in 1842.

He died at Bingham Castle, 24 December 1902; his will has not been traced. His wife died 11/12 January 1894.

Bingham, Denis George Charles Arthur (1849-76). Eldest son of Denis Bingham (1818-1902) and his wife Elizabeth Elinor, only child of Arthur Nash of Carne House (Co. Mayo), born 19 November 1849. He married, 24 September 1874, Maria Mary Hutchinson (c.1846-81), eldest daughter of Capt. William Henry Broad RN, and had issue:

(1) Denis George Broad Bingham (1875-1953) (q.v.);

(2) Charles Henry Arthur Shaen Richard Bingham (b. 1877), born posthumously, 9 April 1877 and baptised at Ringsend (Co. Dublin), 17 May 1878; educated at Christ's Hospital, London; emigrated to United States of America, 1906, and worked as an accountant in the insurance industry in New Jersey; married, 18 March 1920 in Manhattan, New York (USA), Maude Hannah (b. 1888), daughter of Uriah Pollard, and had issue one daughter; living in 1950 but death not traced.

He lived at 3 Bayview, Irishtown (Co. Dublin).

He died in the lifetime of his father, 10 October 1876; administration of his goods was granted to one of his creditors, 29 January 1878 (effects under £800), and a further granted was made to his elder son, 4 June 1919. His widow died 19 April 1881; her will was proved 10 June 1881 (effects under £100).

Bingham, Denis George Broad (1875-1953). Elder son of Denis George Charles Arthur Bingham (1849-76) and his wife Maria Mary Hutchinson, eldest daughter of Capt. W.H. Broad RN, born 27 November 1875. An officer in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (Lt., 1915; retired 1919) in the First World War. He married, 2 June 1909 at Alverstoke (Hants), Ina Mary (1879-1965), daughter of Capt. George Alexander Broad RN MVO, captain of the Royal Yacht and later HM Serjeant-at-Arms, but had no issue.

He inherited Bingham Castle from his grandfather in 1902, but abandoned the house in about 1929 and settled at Poole (Dorset), where he named his house 'Newbrook'.

He died at Poole, 4 December and was buried at Canford Magna (Dorset), 8 December 1953; his will was proved 25 February 1954 (estate £38,290). His widow died 26 May 1965; her will was proved 16 August 1965 (estate £85,156).

Principal sources

Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 2003, pp. 794-95; Burke's Landed Gentry of Ireland, 1904, p.47; Burke's Landed Gentry of Ireland, 1912, p. 44; R.E. McCalmont, Memoirs of the Binghams, 1915; T. Bingham-Daly, The Mayo Binghams, 1997, pp. 134-51.

Location of archives

No significant archive is known to survive.

Coat of arms

Azure, a bend cottised between six crosses pattée or.

Can you help?

• Can anyone provide portraits or photographs of the people whose names appear in bold above, for whom no image is currently shown?
• If anyone can offer further information or corrections to any part of this article I should be most grateful. I am always particularly pleased to hear from current owners or the descendants of families associated with a property who can supply information from their own research or personal knowledge for inclusion.

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 12 April 2026.