THE KELLAWAY FAMILYThis story starts in Charminster, Dorset in C16 with a Nicholas Kelway born c.1530 and his wife Joan. There are no Parish Records for the family but we know about them from the Will of Nicholas written 1592 and proved 1594. His eldest son (of 6 boys and 2 girls) was Ralph who married Alice in 1595 and had 5 children. The oldest son was Nicholas who married Jane Whittle on 05 Nov 1635 Frampton. Again there are many missing Parish Registers so much of what we know of this family comes from Nicholas′ Will written in 1670.His oldest son Nicholas was baptised in Frampton 1642 so I will start the Family tree with him. Nicholas KELLAWAY = Mary Paul b.09.10.1642 Frampton b.1649 d.01.06.1716 Piddlehinton d.06.08.1712 | | Mary____________John KELLAWAY___________________________Nathaniel Paul b.11.12.1683 Piddlehinton Samuel Elizabeth m.Elizabeth Cradock Christopher Nicholas m.12.09.1714 Child Okeford Anna d.26.10.1725 Piddlehinton Mayor of Dorchester 1716 | | Elizabeth KELLAWAY______________Mary Kellaway___________________Dorothy_____Dorothy________John_________Nicholas Kellaway b.16.02.1715/6 Dorchester b.29.11.1717 b.1719 b.21.10.1720 b.1722 b.02.01.1723/4 m.John Ridout m.Sir Nathaniel Gundry KC MP d.1719 d.31.08.1781 d.1724 d.10.03.1783 m.14.04.1748 Chalbury m.13.09.1742 d.Piddlehinton d.Winterborne Whitchurch d.16.11.1791 d.09.11.1791 Richmond d.Witchampton | | | Elizabeth RIDOUT SEE THE RIDOUT CONNECTION b.27.04.1753 Blandford Forum m.Col. Richard Bingham (Dorset Militia) m.26.10.1775 (second wife) d.31.12.1813 bur.07.01.1814 Melcombe | | GEORGE RIDOUT BINGHAM___________________Mary Bingham____________________Leonora Bingham_________________John Bingham b.21.07.1777 b.29.09.1778 b.07.02.1780 b.18.03.1785 m.Emma Septima Pleydell m.Nathaniel Tyron Still m.William Birchall 12.01.1815 m.01.09.1814 Winterborne Whitchurch m.11.12.1804 m.George Emery 29.10.1819 d.03.01.1833 London d. d.1844 NO CHILDREN Commanded as Brigadier General the Battalion at St Helena during imprisonment of Napoleon Bonapart. Title: Major General Sir George Ridout Bingham KCB THE MILITARY CAREER OF SIR GEORGE RIDOUT BINGHAMGeorge Ridout Bingham had a very distinguished military career in the Rifle Brigade formed in January 1800 as the “Experimental Corps of Riflemen” to provide sharpshooters, scouts and skirmishers. The unit was distinguished by its use of green uniforms (with black buttons) as standard in place of the traditional red, the first regular infantry corps in the British Army to do so.Sir George Ridout Bingham was the son of Colonel Richard Bingham of the Dorset Militia and his second wife Elizabeth Ridout daughter of John Ridout and his wife Elizabeth Kellaway. He was born 21 July 1777 and baptised on 10th August in Melcombe Bingham, Dorset. He was educated at Salisbury Cathedral School and entered the army in June 1793 as Ensign in the 69th Foot serving with it in Corsica and with one of the detachments embarked as marines under Admiral Hotham, in the Gulf of Genoa. He was promoted to a company in the 81st Foot in 1796, he served with that regiment at the Cape, and took part in the Kaffir wars of 1800 on the Sundays River. In 1801 he became major in the 82nd Foot, and was with it in Minorca until the island was restored to Spain at the peace of Amiens. In 1805 he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the newly raised 2nd battalion 53rd Foot in Ireland, and went with it to Portugal in 1809. He fought at its head throughout its distinguished Peninsular career, beginning with the expulsion of the French from Oporto in 1809, and ending with the close of the Burgos retreat in 1812. The battalion being then reduced to a skeleton, and having no home battalion to relieve or reinforce it (the 1st battalion was in India), was sent home, but four companies were left in Portugal, and these, with four companies of 2nd Queen′s were formed into a provisional battalion which, under the command of Colonel Bingham performed gallant service in the subsequent campaigns in Spain and the south of France, including the victories at Vittoria, in the Pyrenees, and on the Nivelle. When, after Waterloo in 1815, it was decided to consign the Emperor Napoleon to St Helena, Colonel (now Sir George) Bingham received an urgent call to embark the regiment to Falmouth to meet the “Bellerophon” with Napoleon Bonapart on board. He then sailed to St Helena on HMS Northumberland with Napoleon and his entourage. He kept diaries and noted all his conversations with the ex-emperor. "Who would have thought a year ago I'd walk the deck with BONEY on my arm....". 1 Once on the island, he commanded as a Brigadier General the entire garrison of the island for the Governor, Sir Hudson Lowe. George and Lady Bingham (who sailed out to join him later on a ship which missed the (tiny!) island and had to turn back) were favourites of Napoleon and visited him regularly, until George returned home in 1819 on promotion to Major-General. Sir George was afterwards on the Irish Staff and Commanded the Cork district from 1827 to 1832. He was held in esteem for his tact and kindliness and was described as having been a thorough gentleman as well as a brilliant soldier. George Bingham was responsible for the ending of slavery on St Helena. Coming away from the Court where he was Magistrate one day he saw a slave girl limping by with blood dripping from her shoulder. He immediately returned to the Court and sent for her owner one of the HEIC and fined him forty shillings "Wishing it could be forty pounds". This gave the final push to the Governor who issued an edict that "From the day of the birth of Our Lord all children born to slaves would be born free". This was the only way to plan it without the slaves themselves dying of starvation.1
St Helena had a special stamp issue on 04 September 1968 for the 150th anniversary, with the head of Governor Sir Hudson Lowe featured on two stamps and that of Sir George Bingham on the other two stamps.
Major General Sir George Ridout Bingham KCB died in London 03 Jan 1833 but many of his papers were preserved hidden behind panelling under the stairs in Smedmore House the beautiful Dorset home of his wife′s sister Louisa wife of Lt. Col. John Mansel and their heirs. These papers were hidden for many years behind the panelling but rediscovered and transcribed in the 1980s. Lady (Emma Septima) Bingham died 03 Feb 1874 in Ringwood Hampshire aged 84. There is now a book about the life of Major General Sir George Ridout Bingham KCB called “Wellington′s Lieutenant, Napoleon′s Gaoler The Peninsula Letters & St Helena Diaries of Sir George Ridout Bingham 53rd Foot” by Gareth Glover.
THE BINGHAM AND PLEYDELL FAMILIESEDMUND MORTON PLEYDELL MP RICHARD BINGHAM b.~1686 b.~1670 m.Deborah Kyffyn m.Philadelphia Johns or Pottenger m.13.08.1723 London m.26.12.1695 St James Westmister d.25.03.1754 Milborne St Andrew d.26.03.1736 | | | | Edmund Morton PLEYDELL___+2 sons, 3 dau Richard Bingham________________ Philadelphia b.05.11.1696____________Robert b.28.06.1712 b.~1734 b.04.11.1698 Rachel b.13.10.1697 William b.31.10.1713 m.Ann Luttrell m.Martha Batt Annabella b.17.02.1701/2 George b.27.10.1715 m.1751 m.09.07.1740 Susannah b.29.03.1707 Leanora b.17.05.1718 d.27.10.1794 Milboorne St Andrew d.06.01.1756 Elizabeth b.17.12.1708 d.1751 Mary b.28.11.1719 d.1742 | | Thomas b.13.11.1710 | | | | Edmund Morton PLEYDELL_____+1 son 4 dau Richard Bingham_________________William_________________John b.14.05.1756 St Martin in the Fields b.14.12.1741 b.10.02.1742/3 b.01.06.1746 m.Elizabeth Margaretta Richards m.1)Sophia Halsey m.15.05.1781 London | m.2)Elizabeth Ridout d.28.01.1835 | m.26.10.1775 d.Whatcombe House, Dorset |Colonel Dorset Militia d.12.04.1824 | | | | | | | Sophia b.17.03.1767 | | Richard b.08.04.1768 d.1829 | | Martha b.05.02.1770 d.1770 | | William b.05.04.1771 | | Charles Coxe b.30.09.1772 | | | | | | | Margaretta______LOUISA PLEYDELL_________________EMMA SEPTIMA PLEYDELL = SIR GEORGE RIDOUT BINGHAM KCB___________Mary Bingham____________Leonora Bingham_________John Bingham Cornelia b.09.02.1790 b.23.10.1791 b.21.07.1777 b.29.09.1778 b.07.02.1780 b.18.03.1785 Mary Sophia m.Lt.Col.John Mansel CB Winterborne Whitchurch m.Emma Septima Pleydell m.Nathaniel T Still m.William Birchall Macia m.27.07.1815 m.George R Bingham m.01.09.1814 Winterborne Whitchurch m.11.12.1804 m.12.01.1815 Edmund Morton d.1863 m.01.09.1814 d.03.01.1833 London | m.George Emery (1795-1811) (John Mansel commanded d.03.02.1874 No Children | m.29.10.1819 on St Helena after d.Ringwood Commander of St Helena Garrison | d.1844 Sir G Bingham left 1819) When Napoleon was imprisoned. | | 1815-1819 | 5 sons 4 daughters 2 sons 2 daughtersWith thanks to Sylvia Wright for information on the Bingham link to Elizabeth Kellaway and for information on George Ridout Bingham and the Pleydell/Mansel Family. Ref (1) Extracts from transcipts held at Smedmore House by kind permission Dr Philip Mansel. |
