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| Binney of Pampisford |
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| Morton Hall, near Gainsborough. |
Thomas had married twice and produced seven sons and two daughters, and most of the sons who survived to adulthood took up trades and occupations connected with agriculture. Only one became a farmer as such, and he eventually emigrated to Australia, where the family evidently lost sight of him, for in 1865, two years after his death, they were advertising for news of him or his children. The sole exception to the pattern of agricultural pursuits was Thomas' youngest son, Edward William Binney (1812-81), who was articled to a solicitor in Chesterfield and after completing his legal studies in London, set up in practice in Manchester in 1836. From an early age he manifested an interest in scientific and geological matters, and once settled in Manchester he increasingly applied himself to understanding the complex geology of the Lancashire coalfield. In 1851 he entered a partnership with Dr James Young FRS, another geologist, for the extraction of paraffin from a seam of bituminous coal and shale in Scotland. This was financially highly rewarding and by 1865 he had not only made large profits from the business but was able to sell it to a joint-stock company for £120,000. This was the source of the family's later wealth. Edward himself bought Ravenscliffe House, a large house on the seafront at Douglas (Isle of Man) which had been built in 1849, and used it as an occasional residence, while retaining his main home at Cheetham Hill on the northern outskirts of Manchester.
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| Guisnes Court, Tolleshunt Darcy (Essex) |
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| Ravenscliffe House, Douglas (Isle of Man) |
Edward married in 1856 and produced three sons and three daughters. His eldest son, Edward William Binney (1857-96) settled in London but died relatively young. The second son, Thomas Godfrey Binney (1861-1943) was a militia officer and in 1906 bought Guisnes Court at Tolleshunt d'Arcy (Essex), but after his wife's death in 1923 he emigrated to the USA, where he died at San Diego in California. The third and youngest son was James Binney (1868-1935), who became a barrister in 1894. He evidently had ambitions to enter politics, and twice stood for parliament in the Crewe division in 1908 and 1909, but was unsuccessful. He purchased Pampisford Hall (Cambs) in 1893, and added considerably to the collection of conifers in the grounds, acquiring many specimens during his own adventurous travels.
James Binney married twice, and although his first wife died after only three years of marriage, she left him a son and heir, Richard Christian Cecil James Binney (1897-1966), who duly inherited the Pampisford estate. Cecil, as he was generally known, went to Oxford, where he became one of the founders of the student magazine Cherwell, and then to the Inner Temple, from whence he was called to the bar in 1923. He stood for parliament in 1929 as a Liberal but was not elected, and had a parallel career as a writer of short stories. During the Second World War he was attached to the War Office and Pampisford Hall was used for a time as a reception centre for evacuees. Cecil remained unmarried until 1953, and had no children. When he died in 1966, the Pampisford estate passed to his much younger half-brother, Hector Binney (1919-86), a larger-than-life character who travelled extensively in Europe buying furniture, ceramics and other works of art for a collection which was largely dispersed by sale after his death. After he inherited Pampisford, he became a passionate speaker about the conifer collection in the grounds, but the gardens themselves were neglected during his ownership. On his death, the estate passed to his daughter Arabella (b. 1952), who soon afterwards married Bo Killander (b. 1958). The grounds of the house were extensively damaged in the storms of 1987 and 1990, and this prompted replanting and the start of a programme of restoration of the house and grounds which continued into the 21st century.
Pampisford Hall, Cambridgeshire
The house was first built about 1830 by an unknown architect, on newly-enclosed farmland, for William Parker Hamond (d. 1873), whose ancestors had owned the estate since about 1710 but had been non-resident. As first built it was apparently a moderate-sized villa with the principal rooms along the south-east front. Shortly after the sale of the family's Haling Grove estate at Croydon (Surrey) in the 1860s, Parker Hamond enlarged Pampisford Hall to the designs of George Goldie, creating a new nine-bay south-west front in Italianate style with the centre recessed behind a loggia of banded columns, and a new entrance front to the north-east. The southern three bays on both fronts represent the earlier house. Inside, Goldie created a new entrance hall with an encaustic tiled floor and a chimneypiece carved by Arthur Hayball of Sheffield, a grand staircase and a dining room. A little later, in 1875, all the principal rooms were redecorated in the Italian and French Renaissance styles, and they have been little altered since that time.
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| Pampisford Hall: entrance front before 1912. |
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| Pampisford Hall: the layout of the grounds in 1895, from the 1st edn 25" map. |
Formal gardens in the Italian style were designed by Robert Marnock after 1840, and there are significant remains of this layout, but the layout was considerably enlarged and remodelled between 1869 and 1872. The park was already notable for its trees by the mid 19th century, and visitors were welcome every Sunday in the 1870s. The grounds now contain an even finer collection of conifers than they did 150 years ago, with over 1,000 foreign species, many of them collected by James Binney and his elder son. The site was badly affected by the great storms of 1987 and 1990 and was partially replanted with advice from Alan Mitchell. The timber-framed conservatory was restored in the early 21st century.
Descent: built for William Parker Hamond (d. 1873); to son, William Parker Hamond (d. 1884); to cousin, Col. R.T. Hamond, who sold 1893 to James Binney (1868-1935); to son, Richard Christian Cecil James Binney (1897-1966); to half-brother, Hector Danneskold Brudenell Binney (1919-86); to daughter, Arabella Cecilia Bruce Binney (b. 1952), later wife of Bo A.L. Killander (b. 1958).
Binney family of Pampisford Hall
Binney, Thomas (1762-1835). Son of Thomas Binney (1726-83) of Worksop (Notts) and his wife Elizabeth Hannah, daughter of Thomas Casson of Thorne (Yorks WR), born 23 January 1762. Corn merchant and maltster, in partnership with his sons Richard and Mordecai; the firm became bankrupt in 1830. He married 1st, 3 November 1791 at Worksop, Elizabeth (1772-97), daughter of Robert Cowley of Worksop, and 2nd, 19 May 1804 at Gringley-on-the-Hill (Notts), Elizabeth (1772-1843), daughter of James Cross of Gringley-on-the-Hill, and had issue:
(1.1) Eliza Cowley Binney (1792-1875), born 11 August and baptised at Worksop, 13 August 1792; married, 6 May 1813 at Gainsborough (Lincs), Johann Christian Mann of Rostock (Germany), but had no issue; died at Rostock, 27 September, and was buried there, 30 September 1875;(1.2) Ann Binney (1793-1876), born 15 November and baptised at Worksop, 17 November 1793; married, 15 May 1827 at Gainsborough, Robert Hesleden (1790-1867), and they emigrated to Australia in 1838-39; died without issue at Kew, Victoria (Australia), 18 June, and was buried there, 21 June 1876;(1.3) Thomas Casson Binney (1795-1865), born 3 May and baptised at Worksop, 6 May 1795; grain and timber merchant of Hull (Yorks ER) and corn factor at Wakefield (Yorks WR); married, 14 November 1822 at Rochdale (Lancs), Isabella Holt of Rochdale, and had issue two sons and four daughters; died 21 June and was buried at Worksop, 24 June 1865; will proved 26 January 1866 (effects under £100);(1.4) Richard Binney (1796-1875), born 10 June and baptised at Worksop, 19 June 1796; corn merchant in Wakefield (bankrupt, 1830) and later a stockbroker in Leeds; lived in Leeds and later Doncaster; married, 5 May 1823 at Halifax (Yorks WR), Jane (1803-42), daughter of Joseph Walker of Mearclough House, Halifax, and had issue nine sons and two daughters; died in London, and was buried at Bethnal Green Cemetery (Middx), 1873;(2.1) Mordecai Binney (1805-63), born 19 June 1805; corn merchant in Hull, bankrupt in 1830, who lived later at Retford (Notts); married, February 1841 at Hull Registry Office (and previously in Hamburg), Mary Anne Krumbhaar (1816-56) of Hamburg (Germany), and had issue four sons and one daughter; died 1 June 1863 and was buried at Worksop, where he and his wife are commemorated by a monument;(2.2) James Cross Binney (1807-63), born 20 April 1807; farmer at Pilham (Lincs); married, 12 August 1831 at Pilham, Susanna (1806-53?), daughter of Rev. William Dunkin, rector of Pilham, and had issue two sons and one daughter; after his wife's death he emigrated to Brisbane, Queensland (Australia); died 13 December 1863;(2.3) Henry Casson Binney (1809-38), born September 1809; tanner (bankrupt, 1837); married, 29 January 1835 at St John the Baptist, Chester, Mary Ann Oxley (d. 1837), and had issue one daughter (who died in infancy); died 29 October and was buried at Worksop, 3 November 1838;(2.4) William Edward Binney (b. & d. 1811), born 13 March and baptised at Gainsborough, 2 April 1811; died in infancy, 16 May, and was buried at Gringley-on-the-Hill, 19 May 1811;(2.5) Edward William Binney (1812-81) (q.v.).
He lived at Morton Hall, Gainsborough (Lincs), which was probably sold after his bankruptcy, although he was still described as 'of Morton' in 1831; he lived subsequently at Wakefield (Yorks WR).
He died at West Stockwith (Notts), 16 November, and was buried at Worksop (Notts), 23 November 1835. His first wife died 17 December 1797. His widow died 10 July 1843.
Binney, Edward William (1812-81). Fifth and youngest son of Thomas Binney (1762-1835) and his second wife, Elizabeth, daughter of James Cross of Gringley-on-the-Hill (Notts), born 7 December 1812 and baptised at Gainsborough, 1 March 1813. Educated at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar Sch., Gainsborough and articled to a solicitor in Chesterfield (Derbys). Solicitor in Manchester from 1836, but he became increasingly occupied by scientific and geological affairs and entered in 1851 into a partnership with Dr James Young FRS for the extraction of paraffin from bituminous coal and shale, with works at Bathgate in Scotland and Leigh (Lancs), which they subsequently sold for £120,000 in 1865. He had an expert knowledge of the Lancashire coalfield, and became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1856 and also of the Geological Society, 1853. He was one of founders of the Manchester Geological Society (President, 1857-59, 1866-67) and the Manchester Literary & Philosophical Society, of which he was successively secretary, vice-president and thrice president. He married, 28 August 1856*, Mary Christiana (1827-82), fourth daughter and co-heiress of Rev. David Jones (d. 1868), rector of Hope Bagot (Shrops.), and had issue:
(1) Edward William Binney (1857-96), born 13 December 1857; educated at King William's College (IoM) and Manchester University; law student; married, 14 February 1888 at St Dunstan's-in-the-West, London, Anne Alexandra Efford (1863-1906), daughter of William Henry Weekes, of Lambeth (Surrey), builder, but had no issue; died 13 October 1896 and was buried at Heston (Middx), where he is commemorated by a monument;(2) Thomas Godfrey Binney (1861-1943), born 27 May and baptised at Hope Bagot (Shrops.), 15 September 1861; an officer in the North Irish Militia brigade of Royal Artillery (Lt., 1884; Capt.); owned Guisnes Court, Tolleshunt d'Arcy (Essex), 1906-23, but made it available as a VAD Hospital in First World War; married, 31 October 1882 at Douglas (IoM), Susan Lockhart (1865-1923), eldest daughter of Rev. Canon W.T. Hobson, incumbent of Douglas (IoM) and later rector of Playden (Sussex), and had issue six sons; after his wife's death he emigrated to the USA and died at San Diego, California (USA), 27 December 1943; his will was proved 14 September 1944 (estate in England, £2,863);(3) Maud Elizabeth Binney (1863-1937), born 1 July 1863 and baptised at Hope Bagot, 11 May 1864; married, October 1884, Francis Sowerby (1856-1931) of Hawerby Hall, Coxwold Hall and Beelsby Hall (Lincs), son of J. Sowerby, and had issue three sons and three daughters; lived latterly at Hatfield (Herts); died 10 April 1937; will proved 5 July 1937 (estate £715);(4) Alice Hannah Binney (1864-1955), born 6 September 1864 and baptised at Hope Bagot, 18 June 1865; married, 8 July 1885 at St Peter, Eaton Sq., Westminster (Middx), Col. Samuel Richard Grubb (1855-1921) of Kiltinan Castle (Co. Tipperary), son of Richard Davies Grubb, and had issue one son and one daughter; died at Clonmel (Co. Tipp.), 29 August 1955; will proved at Waterford, 8 November 1955 (estate £100)(5) Joan Cross Binney (1865-1939), born 10 November 1865 and baptised at Hope Bagot, 15 April 1866; married, October 1888, Lt. George Bailie Guthrie (1861-1900) of Craigie (Angus) and had issue one daughter; died 14 January 1939; will proved 2 March 1939 (estate £25,375);(6) James Binney (1868-1935) (q.v.).
He lived at Morton Hall, Gainsborough (Lincs) and later at Cheetham Hill, Manchester. After he made his fortune, he invested in a large seafront house, Ravenscliffe House, at Douglas (IoM), which was sold in 1884, following his death.
He died 19 December, and was buried at Worksop (Notts), 23 December 1881; his will was proved 31 March 1882 (effects £109,278 in the UK). His widow died at Ludlow (Shrops.), 4 May and was buried at Hope Bagot, 10 May 1882; administration of her goods was granted to her second son, 30 May 1883 (effects £241).
* The date is given thus in Burke's Landed Gentry, but I have been unable to trace the marriage, which seems not to have been recorded at Hope Bagot.
Binney, James (1868-1935). Third and youngest son of Edward William Binney (1812-81) and his wife Mary Christiana, daughter and co-heiress of Rev. David Jones, rector of Hope Bagot (Shrops.), born at Douglas (IoM), 14 August 1868. After being orphaned in 1882 he was made a ward in Chancery. Educated at Giggleswick, Rugby and Trinity Hall, Cambridge (matriculated 1887; BA 1892; MA 1898) and Middle Temple (admitted 1889; called 1894). Before attending university he travelled in Europe with a tutor. Barrister-at-law. An officer in 3rd battn., King's Regiment (2nd Lt., 1890; Capt., 1892; retired 1901). JP and DL for Cambridgeshire; High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire, 1903-04. A Conservative in politics, he stood unsuccessfully for Parliament in the Crewe division, 1908, 1909. He travelled extensively in Europe, India, Egypt, the West Indies and South America, and was a notable collector of conifers which he added to the gardens at Pampisford. Author of a short biography of his father, The centenary of a nineteenth-century geologist (1912). He married 1st, 4 January 1894 at Whiston (Lancs), Cecilia de Anyers (1872-97), younger daugher of Capt. Henry Rudolph de Anyers Willis of Halsnead, Whiston, and 2nd, 9 July 1907 at Great Bedwyn (Wilts), Lady Violet Louisa Marjory (1880-1923), daughter of Henry Augustus Brudenell-Bruce (1842-1911), 5th Marquess of Ailesbury, and had issue:
(1.1) Cecilia Ermyntrude Alice Binney (1896-1941), born 4 February and baptised at Pampisford, 29 February 1896; educated at Girton College, Cambridge; language teacher; married, 1938, Maurice Henry Black (1910-91), musician; died 19 March and was buried at Rose Hill Cemetery, Oxford, 24 March 1941; administration of goods granted to her brother, 11 March 1942 (estate £920);(1.2) Richard Christian Cecil James Binney (1897-1966) (q.v.);(2.1) Merlin Brudenell Binney (1908-76), of St Annes Heath, Virginia Water (Surrey), born 5 August and baptised at Pampisford, 20 October 1908; educated at Radley, 1922-23, and St Catherine's College, Cambridge; died unmarried at the Holloway Sanatorium, Egham (Surrey), 18 May 1976; administration of goods (with will annexed) granted 14 June 1977 (estate £3,109);(2.2) Olivera Rowena Binney (1910-86), born 3 September and baptised at Pampisford, 20 October 1910; educated at Heathfield School, the London School of Economics and the Open University (BA 1979); Vice-President of Royal College of Nursing; a member of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales; JP for Glamorganshire (from 1954); appointed OBE, 1967; a Dame of Grace of the Order of St John; married, 24 May 1934 at Pampisford, Col. Sir Cennydd George Traherne KG (1910-95), of Coedarhydglyn, Cardiff (Glam.), son of Cdr. Llewellyn Edmund Traherne; died 22 October 1986; will proved 16 April 1987 (estate £187,255);(2.3) Hector Danneskold Brudenell Binney (1919-86) (q.v.).
He purchased Pampisford Hall in 1893 and also owned property in Lancashire.
He died 3 September and was buried at Pampisford, 6 September 1935; his will was proved 19 December 1935 (estate £115,230). His first wife died 25 March and was buried at Pampisford, 30 March 1897. His second wife died 26 August 1923; her will was proved 29 November 1923 (estate £6,644).
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| Cecil Binney (1897-1966) |
He inherited Pampisford Hall from his father in 1935.
He died 2 October and was buried at Pampisford, 6 October 1966; his will was proved 4 November 1966 and 7 April 1967 (estate £379,790). His widow died aged 97 on 26 January 2002; her will was proved 24 October 2002.
Binney, Hector Danneskold Brudenell (1919-86). Second son of James Binney (1868-1935) and his second wife, Lady Violet Louisa Marjory, daughter of Henry Augustus Brudenell-Bruce, 5th Marquess of Ailesbury, born 5 December 1919 and baptised at Pampisford, 9 January 1920. He served in the army in the Second World War. He was a bon vivant and a larger-than-life character, who travelled extensively throughout Europe, amassing an impressive collection of furniture, ceramics and works of art, especially objects with romantic or historical associations; his collection was sold after his death. On succeeding to his family property, he became known as an eccentric conservationist and spoke passionately about his collection of rare conifer trees. He married 1st, (div. by 1960), Jutta Katharina Marie Elizabeth Antonia von Haxthausen (1916-2004), and 2nd, Oct-Dec 1960, Ann Elizabeth (1926-2017), daughter of Lt-Col. Bernard Ewart Hammond-Davies (1894-1969), and had issue:
(1.1) Arabella Cecilia Bruce Binney (b. 1952) (q.v.);(2.1) Theresa C. Bruce Binney (1958-2013), born Apr-Jun 1958; had issue three sons and one daughter; died at her home at Wolf Hall Manor, Burbage (Wilts), 25 April 2013.
He inherited Pampisford Hall from his half-brother in 1966.
He died 15 May 1986; administration of his goods (with will annexed) was granted 3 December 1986 (estate £1,678,429). His first wife married 2nd, [forename unknown] Bowen and died in February 2004. His second wife died 21 March 2017.
Binney, Arabella Cecilia Bruce (b. 1952). Only child of Hector Danneskold Brudenell Binney (1919-86) and his first wife, Jutta Katharina Marie Elizabeth Antonia, daughter of Walter Paul Wilhelm von Haxthausen, born 23 December 1952 and baptised at Great Bedwyn (Wilts), 23 June 1953. She married, August 1987, Bo A.L. Killander (b. 1958), and had issue:
(1) Calixta Emily M.G. Binney Killander (b. 1989); educated at Ampleforth and Warren Wilson College, North Carolina (USA); created an award-winning regenerative farming and organic vegetable business (Flourish Produce) on 80 acres of the estate;(2) Karl Frederick Killander (b. 1992), born 6 March 1992; a competitive shooting specialist, who has represented Great Britain in skeet shooting.
She inherited Pampisford Hall from her father in 1986.
Now living. Her husband is now living.
Principal sources
Burke's Landed Gentry, 1972, pp. 67-68; VCH Cambs, vol. 6, 1978, pp. 105-13; S. Bradley & Sir N. Pevsner, The buildings of England: Cambridgeshire, 3rd edn., 2014, p. 633; T. Mowl & L. Mayer, The historic gardens of Cambridgeshire, 2013, pp. 165-68.
Location of archives
Binney family of Pampisford: deeds, manorial records, estate and family papers, 1672-1925 [Location unknown: for further information contact The National Archives]
Coat of arms
Per saltire, or and azure, four horses' heads couped at the neck counterchanged
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 22 April 2026.
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