Person:Martha Binns (9)

RELIGION: Christian - Religious Society of Friends.

TESTIMONY: Our ancient and honourable friend Martha Williams the daughterof John & Abigail Binns of Carlton Biggin near Skipton in Yorkshire, and was born the 10th of the 5th month 1710, and religiously Educated in ye principles we profess, but in her youth, as some of us remember to have heard her say, was prone to vanity till mercifully visited by the Solid and Effectual reaches of Divine Grace; She was them able to turn back on the pleasures and allurements of a Deceitful world, and to place her expectation & hope in things which are above, her mind becoming engaged to seek an Inheritance incorruptible. Under these solid experiences of mind she became after a time made sensible that it was required of her to open her mouth in Publick Testimony, which, occasioned her many severe conflicts and deep inward suffering under a sense of her own unworthyness & inability for so great a work, in which state her mind was helped and renewedly instructed by the extendings of the compassionate regard of the Almighty, & at length strengthened to yield obedience to his requirings. She first appeared in Publick Testimony when in Somersetshire abt the 27th or 28th year of her age, in which service her ministry was to the last lively and acceptable. She was frequently favoured both at home & abroad with a clear inward sense & view of the strates of particulars under which impression her testimony hath often appeared solid & very pertinent, in a word of comfort & consolation to the mourner & afflicted, & of clear rebuke to the Disobedient & unfaithful when personally unknown to her. Being thus favoured & instructed she hath often been heard to lament her great Backwardness in giving up faithfully to the heavenly opening, which in divers particular instances causing her to lose her service proved a source of much pain, and many exercises unto her, which we tenderly desire may stand as a matter of Instruction to others who may be so favoured.

In 1746 she was married to our late worthy Friend Abrose Williams of Pontypool in Monmouthshire; they were favoured to live together near 28 years in all which time they were true help meets to each other in the promotion of Truth, giving up each other freely to the Service required: trusting to the Lord and making it their principal care to seek first the kingdom of Heaven & the Righteousness thereof, all things necessary were added unto them in this Life and they were thus engaged to Labour for. Under this Devoutedness of mind she was frequently concerned to leave her near connections in the Service of Truth & several times (visited) Friends in most parts of England & Wales, & twice in Ireland being frequently engaged in visiting families which service she was particularly favoured in.

She was truly a mother in Israel, a great encourager of the weak, a Seeker after the Scattered & a Sympathizer with the afflicted, thus qualified & favoured her engaging cheerful condescention gained her a near place in the affections of many of the youth, who were particularly the objects of her tender care, & her advice hath often proved effecatious [sic.efficacious] in Drawing them nearer to the pure witness within. As long as ability was afforded she was a constant attender of meetings both for Worship & Discipline, and a careful Diligent labourer therein for the removal of wrong things that the unchangeable Truth might prevail overall. When she was no longer able to go abroad her patience and resignation were truly exemplary under pain & afflkiction: remembering the meeting day when a paralytic disorder under which she laboured for 15 months before her Decease, her attention to most things was prevented,and when in a weak state she was Enabled to attend meetings for worship in her son in laws house where she lived, at times dropping a word wch with clearness to the Comfort and admiration of those present.

In a private capacity she was an affectionate wife a tender parent, as well as of Benevolence & Hospitality according to her ability.

About six months of the time of her last illness she was closely confined to her room, & in the last two months of her life suffered great pain, but was preserved in quietness & peace of mind being at times strengthened to express her thankfulness that she was waiting the Lord's time to remove her to everlasting rest, and tenderly advising her children to do their day's work in the daytime, putting up her prayers to the father of mercies for their preservation with great fervency, and praising the name of the Lord who was the Say of her youth and the Staff of her declining age. And graciously favoured with his presence to her last moments... Her excellent qualifications rendered her while living very near, & dear to some of us in the precious uniting Life to Truth, and we have cause therein to believe that having been favoured to accomplish her day's work in the day time she is now gathered in a good Old Age into the Garden of Rest & rejoiceth in Everlasting Peace, & her memory is precious.

She quietly Departed this Life at Neath the 19th of the 2nd Month 1788 & was decently interred in Friends Burial Ground at Swansea the 24th of the same her corpse being accompanied to the Grave by many of her neighbours.

Aged 78. A minister about 50 years.

Read, approved & signed in our monthly Meeting held in Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire the 12th 4th Mo 1788.

by Thomas John, Thomas Rees, John Jenkins, John Griffiths, Wm Padley, Evan Rees, Wm Padley Jnr., John Cowles, Job Thomas.

BIRTH: 1396.155 1397.207 Martha Binns, daughter of John and Abigail, Farnhill, Cragg top, near Kildwick, born 15 iii 1710.

MARRIAGE: 1396.20 1397.123 Ambrose Williams of the village of Trawsnant, parish of Trevethin, Monmouthshire, carpenter, married Martha Binns of Carlton Biggin, 25 ii 1746, at Skipton.

DEATH: 691.270 Martha Williams, widow, of Neath, died 19 ii 1778.

BURIAL: 24 ii 1778, at Swansea.

OCCUPATION: Minister.

OBITUARY Martha, when a young woman was much addicted to wildness and vanity, but the Lord was pleased to visit her with his judgements mixed with mercy. I suppose many years before she entirely gave up vanity and foolishness. I have often seen her in great trouble and anguish of Spirit for the same. She was for a long time satisfied that there was something required of her in Public before she gave up to it, thinking she was not sufficiently reconciled to her brother as to offer her gift (Matt. 5.23) but left it at the altar till she went through many many more conflicts and deep inward sufferings before she gave up. She appeared in public about the 28th year of her age which was then and continued to good satisfaction. She several times visited Meetings in most parts of England and Wales and twice as far as Ireland being frequently involved in family visits to good satisfaction. She lived to about the age of 78, was a Minister about 50 years. See a testimony from the Monthly Meeting concerning her.

INITIAL_SOURCE: Leicester.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 ? Arthur Chamney Leicester. An Account of the Family of the Binns from 1663 (Leicester Document). (Unpublished Family Tree).
2. ↑ Society of Friends, Register of Deaths and Burials in the Craven Area 1757 to 1837. (Keighley Family History Publishing 1997)
   Page 14.
3. ↑ Irene Stafford Ferguson in 1911; revised by Virginia Stafford Ferguson in 1984. An Account of the Family of the Binns from 1663 (Ferguson document). (Unpublished. An American version of the Binns family history.)
   p. 4.
4. ↑ ^4.0 4.1 Irene Stafford Ferguson in 1911; revised by Virginia Stafford Ferguson in 1984. An Account of the Family of the Binns from 1663 (Ferguson document). (Unpublished. An American version of the Binns family history.)
   p. 15.
5.   Joseph John Binns (1839-1922). An Account of the Family of the Binns from 1663 (Sunderland document). (Largely collected materials from Friends' Registers).
6.   James Howard Binns (1894-1987). Descendants of David Binns and Ann Wilson. (unpublished work).
7.   Kenneth Wilson. Lothersdale Chart. (unpublished chart of Binns families derived from Lothersdale records).