Henry Binns
Encyclopedia
Sir Henry Binns, KCMG
(27 June 1837 - 6 June 1899) was Prime Minister
of the Colony of Natal
, South Africa from 5 October 1897 - 8 June 1899.
Born into a Quaker family (the Binns family) in Sunderland, County Durham
on 27 June 1837, he was the eldest son of Henry Binns (a leading member of the Chartist Movement) and Elizabeth Bowron.http://richardjohnbr.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!CE8351513DFB560!192.entry He attended Ackworth School
in Pontefract
, Yorkshire
, from 1847 to 1852, before completing his education in York
.http://www.archive.org/stream/dictionaryofnati019319mbp/dictionaryofnati019319mbp_djvu.txt
Henry Binns emigrated to Natal, South Africa
in 1858. Not long after his arrival in the colony, he turned out to play for the 'Champions of Durban
' against the Maritzburg Cricket Club on 2 May 1860 in what has been described as 'the first major cricket match' to have been played in Durban
.http://www.fad.co.za/Resources/contribs/rs/cricket.asp http://books.google.co.za/books?id=82aVh-ZkXYkC&pg=PA52&lpg=PA52&dq=%22Henry+Binns%22%2B%22Natal%22&source=bl&ots=d9csO8aH0-&sig=Vyj98dO8k-Y3J7hHmdI9TKzLAIw&hl=en&ei=y2ShSfXQOoiiNauO_doL&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=8&ct=result
Commissioned as the first adjutant
of the Victoria Mounted Rifles in 1862, Binns took command of the volunteer unit (which was subsumed into the Natal Mounted Rifles
in 1888) in 1875.http://www.genealogyworld.net/azwar/victoria.html
He established himself in the sugar industry - owning the Sunderland estate and setting up the Umhlanga Valley Sugar Estate Company together with Robert Acutt in 1868http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:AEbLmvjJ24IJ:www.sahistory.org.za/pages/index/extra-dates/twih-extra-pop-01-06-07-06-2008.html+%22Sir+Henry+Binns%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=24&gl=za http://www.archive.org/stream/dictionaryofnati019319mbp/dictionaryofnati019319mbp_djvu.txt - before being appointed by Sir Garnet Wolseley (Garnet Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley
) as a nominated member of the colony's Legislative Council
in 1879. When the Council was transformed into an elective assembly in 1883, Binns was elected member for Victoria County - originally by a majority of only one vote - retaining his seat until his death, 16 years later . An account published in the Natal Witness newspaper in 1963 described Binns, the legislator, as 'having a caustic manner in the Natal Parliament and his clashes with the Colonial Secretary
became almost legendary. Both were masters of an eye-glass and the pantomimic use of these was always worth watching. The method of brandishing the eye-glass was usually a forerunner of what sort of retort was coming.'http://www.thebinnsfamily.org.uk/forum/uploads/newsletter_spring_2007.pdf Elsewhere he has been described as 'a pungent speaker, who rarely wasted words'.http://www.archive.org/stream/dictionaryofnati019319mbp/dictionaryofnati019319mbp_djvu.txt
One of his most important achievements as a member of the Legislative Council before the grant of responsible government in 1893 was his role in obtaining the extension of the Natal Government Railways
line to Harrismith
in the neighbouring Orange Free State
republic. Binns was later appointed by the Legislative Council to lead a delegation to India in 1894 to obtain the approval of the Indian Government to a proposal that Indian indentured labourers working on the canefields in Natal who did not return to India at the end of their indenture contracts should be subject to an annual tax of £25. The proposal did not find favour with Lord Elgin (Victor Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin
), the Viceroy of India, and an annual tax of £3 was subsequently imposed. This measure caused significant resentment amongst the Natal Indian community and was strongly opposed by the Natal Indian Congress
, as recorded by Mahatma Gandhi
in The Story of My Experiments with Truth
sv The £3 Tax. http://www.wikilivres.info/wiki/The_Story_of_My_Experiments_with_Truth/Part_II/The_%C2%A33_Tax Sir Henry, however, was an outspoken opponent of the introduction, under the government of Harry Escombe
, of the Dealers' Licences Act of 1897, which unfairly hampered the ability of Indians to carry on trade as merchant traders in the colony. Binns described the Act as 'an un-British measure'. http://www.archive.org/stream/asiaticdangerinc00neamrich/asiaticdangerinc00neamrich_djvu.txt
Binns succeeded the Rt. Hon. Harry Escombe
P.C. as prime minister in October 1897. He was known to favour good relations with the neighbouring South African Republic
(ZAR) under President Paul Kruger
, a position which caused tensions with some of the fiercely pro-imperialist members of his cabinet, such as Albert Hime (Sir Albert Henry Hime
) and Henry Bale (later, Sir Henry Bale, Chief Justice
of Natal from 1901 to 1910); and even more notably with the newly appointed High Commissioner in South Africa, Sir Alfred Milner (Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner
).http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-03072006-095936/unrestricted/01chapter1.pdf It was nevertheless under his premiership, in May 1898, that Natal joined the OFS-Cape Colony customs union, which reduced Natal's economic ties with the Transvaal
.
He died in office on 6 June 1899 in South Africa
. He was buried at the military cemetery in Durban.http://www.ancestry24.co.za/Content/WebSite/LearningCentre/Burials.aspx His successor in office was Sir Albert Hime.
Binns also served on the boards of the Natal Bank and the Durban Tramway Company.
Binns married Clara Acutt, whom he had met when they were fellow passengers on the ship Early Morn from England as immigrants to Natal in 1858. (See Yvonne Miller, Acutts in Africa, Chapter 3 (private print by Robinson & Hewit of Pinetown, Natal)). His only surviving child, Percy Binns KC, was a contemporary of Mahatma Gandhi
at the Natal Bar and later became Chief Magistrate
of Durban
. Treverton Preparatory School at Mooi River was founded by Sir Henry's grandson, Peter Binns.
A bust of Sir Henry Binns, as well as a memorial plaque in his honour, grace the vestibule to the Legislative Building of the KwaZulu-Natal
Legislature in Pietermaritzburg
.http://www.kznlegislature.gov.za/Default.aspx?tabid=67
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(27 June 1837 - 6 June 1899) was Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
of the Colony of Natal
Colony of Natal
The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on May 4, 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa, as one of its...
, South Africa from 5 October 1897 - 8 June 1899.
Born into a Quaker family (the Binns family) in Sunderland, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
on 27 June 1837, he was the eldest son of Henry Binns (a leading member of the Chartist Movement) and Elizabeth Bowron.http://richardjohnbr.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!CE8351513DFB560!192.entry He attended Ackworth School
Ackworth School
Ackworth School is an independent school located in the village of High Ackworth, near Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England. It is one of eight Quaker Schools in England. The school is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and SHMIS . The Head is Kathryn Bell, who succeeded...
in Pontefract
Pontefract
Pontefract is an historic market town in West Yorkshire, England. Traditionally in the West Riding, near the A1 , the M62 motorway and Castleford. It is one of the five towns in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield and has a population of 28,250...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, from 1847 to 1852, before completing his education in York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
.http://www.archive.org/stream/dictionaryofnati019319mbp/dictionaryofnati019319mbp_djvu.txt
Henry Binns emigrated to Natal, South Africa
Natal, South Africa
Natal is a region in South Africa. It stretches between the Indian Ocean in the south and east, the Drakensberg in the west, and the Lebombo Mountains in the north. The main cities are Pietermaritzburg and Durban...
in 1858. Not long after his arrival in the colony, he turned out to play for the 'Champions of Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
' against the Maritzburg Cricket Club on 2 May 1860 in what has been described as 'the first major cricket match' to have been played in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
.http://www.fad.co.za/Resources/contribs/rs/cricket.asp http://books.google.co.za/books?id=82aVh-ZkXYkC&pg=PA52&lpg=PA52&dq=%22Henry+Binns%22%2B%22Natal%22&source=bl&ots=d9csO8aH0-&sig=Vyj98dO8k-Y3J7hHmdI9TKzLAIw&hl=en&ei=y2ShSfXQOoiiNauO_doL&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=8&ct=result
Commissioned as the first adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
of the Victoria Mounted Rifles in 1862, Binns took command of the volunteer unit (which was subsumed into the Natal Mounted Rifles
Natal Mounted Rifles
The Natal Mounted Rifles is an armoured regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Territorial Army or United States Army National Guard unit...
in 1888) in 1875.http://www.genealogyworld.net/azwar/victoria.html
He established himself in the sugar industry - owning the Sunderland estate and setting up the Umhlanga Valley Sugar Estate Company together with Robert Acutt in 1868http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:AEbLmvjJ24IJ:www.sahistory.org.za/pages/index/extra-dates/twih-extra-pop-01-06-07-06-2008.html+%22Sir+Henry+Binns%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=24&gl=za http://www.archive.org/stream/dictionaryofnati019319mbp/dictionaryofnati019319mbp_djvu.txt - before being appointed by Sir Garnet Wolseley (Garnet Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley
Garnet Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley
Field Marshal Garnet Joseph Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley, KP, GCB, OM, GCMG, VD, PC was an Anglo-Irish officer in the British Army. He served in Burma, the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, China, Canada, and widely throughout Africa—including his Ashanti campaign and the Nile Expedition...
) as a nominated member of the colony's Legislative Council
Legislative Council
A Legislative Council is the name given to the legislatures, or one of the chambers of the legislature of many nations and colonies.A Member of the Legislative Council is commonly referred to as an MLC.- Unicameral legislatures :...
in 1879. When the Council was transformed into an elective assembly in 1883, Binns was elected member for Victoria County - originally by a majority of only one vote - retaining his seat until his death, 16 years later . An account published in the Natal Witness newspaper in 1963 described Binns, the legislator, as 'having a caustic manner in the Natal Parliament and his clashes with the Colonial Secretary
Chief Secretary
The Chief Secretary is the title of a senior civil servant in members of the Commonwealth of Nations, and, historically, in the British Empire. Prior to the dissolution of the colonies, the Chief Secretary was the second most important official in a colony of the British Empire after the...
became almost legendary. Both were masters of an eye-glass and the pantomimic use of these was always worth watching. The method of brandishing the eye-glass was usually a forerunner of what sort of retort was coming.'http://www.thebinnsfamily.org.uk/forum/uploads/newsletter_spring_2007.pdf Elsewhere he has been described as 'a pungent speaker, who rarely wasted words'.http://www.archive.org/stream/dictionaryofnati019319mbp/dictionaryofnati019319mbp_djvu.txt
One of his most important achievements as a member of the Legislative Council before the grant of responsible government in 1893 was his role in obtaining the extension of the Natal Government Railways
Natal government railways
The Natal Government Railways was formed in January 1877 in the Colony of Natal.In 1877 the Natal Government Railways acquired the Natal Railway Company for the sum of £40,000, gaining the line from the Point to Durban and from Durban to Umgeni...
line to Harrismith
Harrismith
Harrismith, named after Sir Harry Smith, is a large town in the Free State province of South Africa, situated on the N3 highway approximately midway between Johannesburg, about 300 km north-east, and Durban. The town is at the junction with the N5 highway, which continues west towards the...
in the neighbouring Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
republic. Binns was later appointed by the Legislative Council to lead a delegation to India in 1894 to obtain the approval of the Indian Government to a proposal that Indian indentured labourers working on the canefields in Natal who did not return to India at the end of their indenture contracts should be subject to an annual tax of £25. The proposal did not find favour with Lord Elgin (Victor Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin
Victor Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin
Victor Alexander Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin, 13th Earl of Kincardine, KG, GCSI, GCIE, PC , known as Lord Bruce until 1863, was a British statesman who served as Viceroy of India from 1894 to 1899.-Background and education:...
), the Viceroy of India, and an annual tax of £3 was subsequently imposed. This measure caused significant resentment amongst the Natal Indian community and was strongly opposed by the Natal Indian Congress
Natal Indian Congress
The Natal Indian Congress was an organization that aimed to fight discrimination against Indians in South Africa. The Natal Indian Congress was started by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, later known as the Mahatma...
, as recorded by Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
in The Story of My Experiments with Truth
The Story of My Experiments with Truth
The Story of My Experiments with Truth is the autobiography of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, covering his life from early childhood through to 1920. It was initiated at the insistence of Swami Anand and other close co-workers of Gandhi, for him to explain the background of his public campaigns...
sv The £3 Tax. http://www.wikilivres.info/wiki/The_Story_of_My_Experiments_with_Truth/Part_II/The_%C2%A33_Tax Sir Henry, however, was an outspoken opponent of the introduction, under the government of Harry Escombe
Harry Escombe
Harry Escombe , South African statesman, a member of a Somersetshire family, was born at Notting Hill, London, and was educated at St Paul's School....
, of the Dealers' Licences Act of 1897, which unfairly hampered the ability of Indians to carry on trade as merchant traders in the colony. Binns described the Act as 'an un-British measure'. http://www.archive.org/stream/asiaticdangerinc00neamrich/asiaticdangerinc00neamrich_djvu.txt
Binns succeeded the Rt. Hon. Harry Escombe
Harry Escombe
Harry Escombe , South African statesman, a member of a Somersetshire family, was born at Notting Hill, London, and was educated at St Paul's School....
P.C. as prime minister in October 1897. He was known to favour good relations with the neighbouring South African Republic
South African Republic
The South African Republic , often informally known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer-ruled country in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century. Not to be confused with the present-day Republic of South Africa, it occupied the area later known as the South African...
(ZAR) under President Paul Kruger
Paul Kruger
Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger , better known as Paul Kruger and affectionately known as Uncle Paul was State President of the South African Republic...
, a position which caused tensions with some of the fiercely pro-imperialist members of his cabinet, such as Albert Hime (Sir Albert Henry Hime
Albert Henry Hime
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Albert Henry Hime KCMG, PC was a Royal Engineers officer and later a prominent politician in the Colony of Natal....
) and Henry Bale (later, Sir Henry Bale, Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of Natal from 1901 to 1910); and even more notably with the newly appointed High Commissioner in South Africa, Sir Alfred Milner (Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner
Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner
Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner KG, GCB, GCMG, PC was a British statesman and colonial administrator who played an influential leadership role in the formulation of foreign and domestic policy between the mid-1890s and early 1920s...
).http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-03072006-095936/unrestricted/01chapter1.pdf It was nevertheless under his premiership, in May 1898, that Natal joined the OFS-Cape Colony customs union, which reduced Natal's economic ties with the Transvaal
South African Republic
The South African Republic , often informally known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer-ruled country in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century. Not to be confused with the present-day Republic of South Africa, it occupied the area later known as the South African...
.
He died in office on 6 June 1899 in South Africa
1899 in South Africa
-April:* The Transvaal government orders Asiatics to move into Locations specified by the government before the 1 July-May:* 4 May - Cape Town based food packaging company Imperial Cold Storage and Supply Company was founded in London at a cost of GB£272,000 .* 5 May - Sir Alfred Milner, High...
. He was buried at the military cemetery in Durban.http://www.ancestry24.co.za/Content/WebSite/LearningCentre/Burials.aspx His successor in office was Sir Albert Hime.
Binns also served on the boards of the Natal Bank and the Durban Tramway Company.
Binns married Clara Acutt, whom he had met when they were fellow passengers on the ship Early Morn from England as immigrants to Natal in 1858. (See Yvonne Miller, Acutts in Africa, Chapter 3 (private print by Robinson & Hewit of Pinetown, Natal)). His only surviving child, Percy Binns KC, was a contemporary of Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
at the Natal Bar and later became Chief Magistrate
Chief Magistrate
Chief Magistrate is a generic designation for a public official whose office—individual or collegial—is the highest in his or her class, in either of the fundamental meanings of Magistrate : as a major political and administrative office , and/or as a judge Chief Magistrate is a generic designation...
of Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
. Treverton Preparatory School at Mooi River was founded by Sir Henry's grandson, Peter Binns.
A bust of Sir Henry Binns, as well as a memorial plaque in his honour, grace the vestibule to the Legislative Building of the KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....
Legislature in Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg is the capital and second largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838, and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its "purist" Zulu name is umGungundlovu, and this is the name used for the district municipality...
.http://www.kznlegislature.gov.za/Default.aspx?tabid=67
External links
- http://richardjohnbr.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!CE8351513DFB560!192.entry
- Dictionary of National Biography (Abbott-Childers) (1901) ed. Sidney Lee (Smith, Elder & Co., London)
- http://www.fad.co.za/Resources/contribs/rs/cricket.asp
- Jon Gemmell, The Politics of South African Cricket (Routledge) 2004 ISBN 0714682845, 9780714682846 at p. 52
- http://www.genealogyworld.net/azwar/victoria.html
- South African History Online : This Week in History, 6 June 1899.
- End of the Line by Peter A Clark
- The Asiatic Danger in the Colonies by L.E. Neame (1907) George Routledge and Sons Ltd, London, at 38
- The Natal Afrikaner and the Anglo-Boer War, doctoral thesis submitted to the University of Pretoria by J.M. Wasserman (December 2004)
- Historical Graves in South Africa
- http://www.kznlegislature.gov.za/Default.aspx?tabid=67