Sir John Bingley (c.1572–1638) was an English politician and Crown official, who spent much of his career in Ireland. He was Chief Secretary to

Sir George Carey George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon KG (1547 – 9 September 1603) was the eldest son of Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon and Anne Morgan. His father was first cousin to Elizabeth I of England. In 1560, at the age of 13, George matriculated at ...

as Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1603 to 1605. He later served as Member of the

Parliament of England The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised ...

for Chester from 1610 to 1611 and again in the

Addled Parliament The Parliament of 1614 was the second Parliament of England of the reign of James VI and I, which sat between 5 April and 7 June 1614. Lasting only two months and two days, it saw no bills pass and was not even regarded as a Parliament by its c ...

of 1614. He became a senior official in the English Exchequer, but his career was ruined by the Suffolk corruption scandal of 1618, which led to his being fined and imprisoned. In time he was restored to some measure of royal favour, and returned to Ireland, where he became a trusted Crown servant.History of Parliament Trust
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Biography

He was born in Chester, the second son of John Bingley, and was educated at

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and W ...

. During his years in Ireland, he held several lucrative offices and is said to have amassed a fortune. He returned to England about 1608, and was knighted. In addition to his career in Parliament, where he seems to have made little impression, he obtained the lucrative office of Writer of the Tallies at the Exchequer. He held this office until 1618, when his career was destroyed by the downfall of

Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk, (24 August 156128 May 1626) of Audley End House in the parish of Saffron Walden in Essex, and of Suffolk House near Westminster, a member of the House of Howard, was the second son of Thomas Howard, 4th ...

, the

Lord High Treasurer The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Acts of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third-highest-ranked Great Officer of State in ...

. Suffolk, his wife Katherine Knyvett and Bingley have been described as treating the Exchequer as "their private

bank account A bank account is a financial account maintained by a bank or other financial institution in which the financial transactions between the bank and a customer are recorded. Each financial institution sets the terms and conditions for each type of ...

". The allegations of corruption, bribery and maladministration were numerous and detailed, and there is little doubt that all three were guilty as charged. After a trial in Star Chamber, Bingley was found guilty, imprisoned and fined. The prosecution proposed a colossal fine of £100,000, but the actual fine imposed was £30,000. He was soon released from prison, but was much troubled by

lawsuits - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil acti ...

from those he had defrauded, who included members of his own family like his brother-in-law Benjamin Henshaw. In time he regained a measure of royal favour, and in about 1625 he was sent back to Ireland, where it was considered that his earlier experience of Irish affairs would be useful to the Government. He was appointed Comptroller of the Musters and Cheques for Ireland, and seems to have served the Crown responsibly: certainly, there were no further complaints against him of corruption or bribery. He died in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

in 1638.

Family

He married firstly Anne Henshaw, daughter of Thomas Henshaw of the

Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors ] The Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors is one of the 110 Livery company, livery companies of the City of London. The Company, originally known as the ''Guild and Fraternity of St John the Baptist in the City of London'', was founded prio ...

, and secondly Elizabeth Nevill, daughter of

Edward Nevill, 8th Baron Bergavenny Edward Nevill, ''de facto'' 8th (''de jure'' 1st) Baron Bergavenny (c. 1550 – 1 December 1622) was an English peer. The son of Edward Nevill, 7th Baron Bergavenny, he succeeded to the Barony upon the death of his father. His right to the titl ...

and Rachel Lennard, and widow of Sir John Grey. His will has not survived, but it appears that the bulk of his property passed to Jane, his only daughter by Anne Henshaw, who married William Brabazon, 1st Earl of Meath. She died in 1644, leaving a son Edward, who succeeded to his father's title.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bingley, John 1570s births 1638 deaths Chief Secretaries for Ireland English MPs 1604–1611 English MPs 1614 Knights Bachelor Members of Gray's Inn People from Chester