Television pictures of fleeing Kosovans immediately come to mind on reading William Bennett's account of his visit to Mayo in 1847, made on behalf of the Society of Friends during the height of the Famine.
"We met along the road multitudes of emigrants, mostly on foot, with their bundles on their backs, proceeding to Dublin. A few had more than they could carry; and it was an affecting sight to observe numerous whole families, with all their worldly goods packed up on a donkey cart. We met several hundreds in the course of this morning only, and the guard assured me it was the same every day . . ."
Another apparent similarity concerns a newspaper report that cameramen covering the Kosovan tragedy required children to cry for the cameras. "My son," wrote Bennett, "who was more at liberty to observe, discovered that girls and children were up and running about as soon as we were fairly cleared off, who had on our approach thrown themselves on their miserable sleeping places, and beneath what covering they had, as if sick." And though he included this observation, he was a man of truly Christian charity. "The scenes of human misery and degradation we witnessed still haunt my imagination, with the vividness and power of some horrid and tyrannous delusion, rather than the features of a sober reality."
Richard D Webb, in a letter written from Belmullet, whilst on a visit of inspection at the request of the central relief committee of the Society of Friends, commented on the number of absentee landlords, saying that "there are but few landlords left to carry forward either public or private measures of relief . . ."
The "seats" listed in Kilcommon, wherein Belmullet, in Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1836), 10 years before the Famine, were Bingham Castle, residence of Major Bingham; Bayview, residence of William Bingham, and Binghamstown, residence of the Rev J. P. Lyons. The Binghams were still in Co Mayo in 1876 when Owners of Land of One Acre and Upwards was published. Arthur Shaen Bingham, Doolough Lodge, Belmullet, had 1,662 acres; Denis Bingham, Bingham Castle, had 4,827 acres; Henry Bingham, Annagh House, Belmullet, had 9,471 acres; Col Henry Bingham, London, had 2,311 acres; Maria and Mrs Sarah Bingham, Kingstown (Dun Laoghaire), had 133 and 10,110 acres respectively; Anne Bingham, Dalkey, Co Dublin, had 4,768 acres, and Letitia Bingham, Dalkey, had 12,525 Co Mayo acres.
Bingham is an English toponymic meaning "homestead at a Bing (hollow), or the first element may contain an owner's name". Sloinnte na hEireann/Irish Sur- names (de Bhulbh 1997) gives Bingeam as its Irish. The Phone Book of Northern Ireland lists approximately 200 of this name, while south of the Border there are but 17. One of these is in Binghamstown, Co Mayo, a town named for this family. The Irish for Binghamstown is An Geata Mor ("the big gate").
Robert Bell's Ulster Surnames says this surname derives from Bigham or Biggam, which originated from Scottish places so named, but conceding that it may also derive from Bingham. "As it was still being used interchangeably with Bigam and Bigham in late 19th-century Ireland, the Scottish derivation is probably more likely."
Don Philip O'Sullivan, in his Ireland under Elizabeth, printed in 1621, wrote: "Richard Bingham, Knight, an Englishman, and the Queen's president of the province of Connaught, began his administration with such mildness and moderation that he was most acceptable to all, and the Connaughtmen gave him the honourable title of the Kind President. However, this was not a real but a feigned benignity; not the simplicity of the dove, but of the fox. After he had established a great reputation for kindness and goodness, the heretic broke out into more than Phalaric cruelty, greedily spilling the blood of the Catholics. He hanged O'Connor Roe, aged about 80 years, and slaughtered many of the O'Connors and Burkes." He died in 1599.
Transplantation to Connaught 1654-58 notes that Sir George Bingham was granted 246 acres reserved for Protestants in Kilconduff; Sir Henry Bingham got 190 acres at Islandeady, and over 700 acres in the parish of Carra. Lady Bingham received 936 acres at Ballinrobe, all in Co Mayo. Taylor & Skinner's Maps of the Roads of Ireland (1778) shows Bingham Esq, at Newbrooke, south of Castlebar, on the road to Ballinrobe. Denis Bingham was at Binghams-town in 1814.