On a notable month for those chasing solar eclipses, including a group from the BBC battered by winds, was the commencement of the majestic movements of basking sharks along the Erris coastline in County Mayo. This was also the period in which I bid my father farewell and accepted he would never witness my dreams becoming reality.
In honour of fathers and grandfathers, in some instances even tracing back to the 10th century, allow me to share with you the tale of Mr. Bob Bingham, a man whose lineage had never laid eyes on Doolough Lodge. Until recently, when he began a search for his ancestral roots, he was oblivious to any historical connection with my home, with Ireland, or with this particular section of the globe.
I met Bob, an Australian, on a virtual platform dedicated to ancestry research, where we happened to be investigating the same property. Whilst my study of the old house I’d purchased was rather straightforward, Bob, nearly 60, discovered that his namesake and grandfather, Robert Bingham had set sail from this house bound to Australia around 1911 for a little adventure.
The revelation of all this came about due to a pocket watch that Bob and his sibling Peter had tucked away years prior after damaging it during their childhood. “It was only after my final retirement that I showed interest in the damaged watch and an old 1925 passport belonging to my grandfather that appeared out of nowhere,” he mentions.
Guilt propelled him to shell out a hefty $1,000 to restore the pocket watch, and the passport represents the only image of his grandfather, who he had never encountered. He’d never met his grandmother either, and based on his ginger hair and the distinctly British Bingham moniker, he had always assumed his lineage traced back to Scotland and England respectively.
An inscription on a watch gifted to R. J. Bingham Esq by his colleagues at Sydney Snow Ltd on July 11, 1925, sparked an intriguing search. This led Bob, an Australian, to Dublin’s Grafton Street, retracing his grandfather’s footsteps who had once been employed by tycoon Sir Sydney Snow.
Historical records from 1901 identified that Bingham had initially been a resident apprentice at the Draper for Brown Thomas in Dublin before he appeared on a passenger manifest of the ‘Suffolk’, sailing from Liverpool towards Sydney in November 1911. Living in first class and far removed from the upheavals brewing in Ireland, his journey marked the beginning of a grand adventure.
In the process of exploring his lineage, Bob discovered that his genealogical journey extended as far back as 1060, inclusive of a surprising connection to Princess Diana. This was particularly astounding for Bob, who was unaware of his Irish heritage until his 60s. His research, supplemented by insights from various “genetic cousins” globally via DNA studies, aided in connecting the dots.
Bob’s expedition took a fascinating detour when the existence of a place referred to as Binghamstown came to light, complete with the vestiges of Bingham Castle. The estate was revealed to be the possession of his thrice-removed grandfather, Major Denis Bingham, known to be notorious and had inherited a significant portion of the original Shaen estate and a third of County Mayo in 1789.
Interestingly, this echoed with an article I had previously penned discussing north Mayo’s contribution to King Charles’ crown jewels at the previous year’s coronation. The story goes that in 1661, the royal treasury was devoid of all but a spoon from the 15th century (truth be told), so Charles II compensated the royal goldsmith with 95,000 acres of land from the Barony of Erris, in lieu of cash or castles, for the crown jewels, now approximated to be valued between £3 – £5 billion. In effect, every bit of land here contributed.
“When the Royal goldsmith wasn’t satisfied with offloading his labour, he sold his vast 95,000-acre property to the Shaen family, who hailed from Roscommon. This extended family network encompassed the husbands of Arthur Shaen’s two daughters, who were Binghams and Carters by birth, thus becoming the new custodians of the land. One of their possessions, the Bingham Castle constructed in 1790, unfortunately no longer exists, but the family’s influence persists. Bob has recently found out he’s related to this lineage.
Regardless of the family being labelled as “avaricious landowners,” Bob gives credit to Major Denis Bingham’s enduring impact across County Mayo. He is of the opinion that his ancestor’s crowning achievement was creating the town of Bangor Erris.
Bob and his partner, charmingly referred to as “the fetching Marilyn,” have not yet visited Mayo. Despite this, I eagerly await the day when they navigate the vast stretches of water separating us. Then, we can commemorate our paternal lineage, and share a drink to our fathers, grandfathers, and aspirations. “