Oh brilliant! What a gem to have in one's family. BUT...please let us know what happened next? Cheers Lise in Brittany ----- Original Message ----- From: <Kathybinns@aol.com> To: <ENG-SHEFFIELD-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, May 23, 2005 7:23 PM Subject: Re: [SHEFF] Family/Local History Stories & Surname Interests etc. > Hi Jeremy, > whilst researching my Sheffield BINNS family I came across this article in > the Times Newspaper. Sadly, I have not managed to make a connection to > this > branch of the family but I have collected some information about them if > anyone > else is connected. Apologies for the size of the article. > best regards > Kathy > Wirral > > The Times, Thurs 12 Oct 1882 > > SINGULAR MARRIAGE > > A marriage of a very extraordinary character took place yesterday at > Sheffield between a local solicitor, Mr. E. Knowles Binns, a member of the > Sheffield Town Council and Sheffield Board of Guardians, and Mrs. Ada > Caroline > Milne, widow of Tunbridge-wells. Two months ago Mrs. Milne, who possesses > a > fortune of £18,000, advertised in the Matrimonial News her wish to again > get > married. The advertisement fell into the hands of Mr. Binns, who entered > into > correspondence with the lady. An appointment was made, and Mr. Binns met > the lady > at Tunbridge-wells. The interview was interrupted by the appearance of Mr. > F. > Liebert of Tunbridge-wells, the brother of the lady, who, believing that > his > sister was not responsible for her actions, as she had already been > confined > in an asylum, took energetic measures to defeat the intentions of Mr. > Binns. > At his hands Mr. Binns received summary chastisement. He was thrashed, > and > kicked out of the house, and the thrashing was repeated at the railway > station. > Mr. Binns, returning to Sheffield, wrote to the lady for "some > explanation > why your brother should have thought fit to insult me in the way he did," > and > received a stern reply from the brother himself, who opened the letter. > Mr. > Binns, however persevered in his intentions. Early this month the lady, > who > had taken up her residence at a convent at Folkestone, suddenly left and > went > to Sheffield, staying at the Victoria Station Hotel under the name of > Mrs. > Scott, of New York. The lady being a Roman Catholic, Mr. Binns proposed > to be > married first at St. Mary's, Norfolk-row, and afterwards at the parish > church. > Canon Walshaw, of St. Mary's, however, who had been in communication with > the > lady's relatives, declined to act, and a "dispensation" from the Roman > Catholic Bishop of Leeds, which had been obtained was withdrawn. Last > Saturday Mr. > Binns waited upon Canon Blakeney, vicar of Sheffield, and yesterday > morning > he again called at am early hour to obtain the promised licence. The > vicar, > who was unaware until Thursday evening of the peculiar circumstance of > the > case, urged Mr. Binns to make a settlement on the lady. He said he would > not be > coerced by anyone, and that in consequence of the rough treatment he had > received from the brother nothing should induce him to make a settlement, > The > question of the lady's sanity was mentioned, whereupon Mr. Binns produced > three > medical certificates all pronouncing her sane, and as he was prepared to > make > the declaration necessary to be made before a licence could be obtained, > the > vicar had no option but to grant the licence. Mr. Liebert, hearing of his > sister's contemplated marriage, came to Sheffield on Monday, taking up > his > quarters at the Victoria Station Hotel, and it is a curious circumstance > that he > occupied the bedroom immediately adjoining that of his sister without > having > any knowledge of her proximity. On Tuesday he was aware that an attempt > would > be made to have the marriage ceremony performed the next day, and he took > steps to prevent it, A carriage and pair were in waiting at the church > gates at > 9 o'clock, and a number of men were employed for the purpose of forcibly > preventing Mrs. Milne from proceeding with the marriage, the intention > being to > put her into the carriage and drive her away until such time as an > injunction > could be obtained restraining the marriage on the grounds of the lady not > being in a fit and sound state of mind. Mr. Binns, however had taken > effective > steps to prevent a breach of the peace, there being nearly a score of > constables present. On the lady alighting from the carriage which > conveyed her to > the church, her brother stepped forward and seized her by the arm, and > asked > her to go with him, but she refused. The police held Mr. Liebert back, > and the > lady then entered the church, chased by her brother as soon as he got > free > from the constable. Mr Binns, entered the church soon after, and the > wedding > ceremony proceeded quietly until the words "If any man can show any just > cause > why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him now speak or else > hereafter for ever hold his peace," Mr. Liebert then stepped forward and > made a > whispered statement, the purport of which was that the lady was of > unsound > mind, and that is time were granted he could prove the truth of his > assertion. > Canon Blakeney replied that Mr. Binns possessed medical certificates from > three > leading Sheffield practitioners, and that he was bound to proceed with > the > marriage unless "just cause" could be shown against it. Mr. Liebert > repeated > his remonstrances again and again, but in vain, and the ceremony was > proceeded > with. Mr. Liebert was very much affected, and leant his head on one of > the > pews weeping bitterly. The affair has created a great sensation in > Sheffield, > where Mr. Binns, owing to his public position and his standing as a > solicitor, is very well known. > > > > ==== ENG-SHEFFIELD Mailing List ==== > Personal details of living or probable living persons are not to be posted > onlist. If such details are requested then please use common sense before > responsding offlist with a personal email. > > ============================== > Search Family and Local Histories for stories about your family and the > areas they lived. Over 85 million names added in the last 12 months. > Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13966/rd.ashx > >