Family background
George Mayhew Bingham was born 18 October 1816 in Wisbech, Cambridge, England, the son of George Samuel Bingham and Elizabeth Mayhew. He married Mary Ann Walker at Wisbech, Cambridge, England on 23 May 1836. George and Mary lived in Holborn, Central London and had 3 sons and 4 daughters.
The Bingham family arrived in Sydney in 1855 on the ship John Davies. They resided at Pitt Street, Redfern. Bingham died on 21 January 1880, aged 64, at his residence in Victoria Street, Burwood. His estate and assets were assessed at £4,000.
Occupation & interests
George Bingham first operated as a chandler (candlemaker) in the London suburb of Clerkenwell before establishing premises on Water Lane near Fleet Street in the Parish of St Bride’s, close to the River Thames. On 28 April 1842 he was granted ‘Freeman’ status or made ‘Free of the City of London’, which meant he did not have to pay trade taxes and could trade in his own right. Bingham did not practice the trade for long and by at least the early 1850s, was listed as a coachmaker.
In Sydney, Bingham operated his coachmaking business at Pitt Street, Redfern. At the time of his death he worked at the Railway Carriage Department where he was an inspector of rolling stock.
Local government service
George Bingham was elected an alderman for the Belmore Ward in 1868. He also nominated for the Borough of Burwood in 1879.
References
‘Redfern ‘Municipal Elections’, The Empire, 14 September 1868, p.2. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/60827285
London, England, Freedom of the City Admission Papers, 1681-1930, London Metropolitan Archives, Reference Number: COL/CHD/FR/02/1713-1719