Bingley, William

Bingley, William (fl. 1763–99), journalist and editor, appears to have been born in England; very little is known about his early life. He began his career as a radical journalist, taking over the North Briton when John Wilkes was forced to withdraw from involvement. Bingley was also found guilty of libel but continued to edit from jail. Released after eighteen months, he emigrated to Ireland, later claiming that it was in order to forget his past. He attempted farming in Co. Donegal but was not a success; he moved to Dublin, and returned to journalism. He became proprietor of the Volunteer's Journal or Irish Herald, an opposition paper. At the time the government was attempting to establish its authority over the press and decided to make an example of the paper. On 5 April 1784 the Irish house of commons ordered his arrest, and he was apprehended (16 April) in the paper's headquarters at Abbey St., spending the night in the bailiff's house. The following day he was taken to the house of Christopher Robinson (qv), a justice of the king's bench, and charged with being a proprietor and publisher of the paper. The judge granted him bail but the sergeant-at-arms arrested him before he could leave. This drew a stern reprimand from the judge and Bingley was rereleased, only to be rearrested in the hall. Brought before the house of commons (20 April) he was rigorously examined but eventually let go. He claimed that he was only a subordinate at the paper, and on 1 May was informed that he would not be prosecuted.

There the matter should have rested; but, embittered by his treatment at the hands of authority, he decided to sue for damages arising from his arrest. The attorney general, John Foster (qv) accused Bingley of ingratitude and insisted that the prosecution had been capable of proving that he was the publisher (although not the printer or proprietor), but had desisted because of his straitened financial circumstances. Offended by the allegation of poverty, Bingley blamed his circumstances on the tardiness of Irish gentlemen in settling their newspaper accounts. Bringing his case against the sergeant-at-arms in 1785, he stubbornly refused to accept a collection made by some MPs for him. In an arrogant demonstration of parliamentary sovereignty and privilege he was once more brought before the commons. Abandoned by his solicitor, he was sent to Newgate jail and subsequently ignored by the parliamentary authorities. His petition to go before the commons was refused three weeks later. On 2 August he did so once more, abandoning his case, and a week later he was released.

An obstinate man, from that point on he was broken in spirit. He does not appear to have continued in journalism. In 1799 he was the author of a volume on the 1798 rebellion entitled Discontent in Ireland, and cause of the rebellion. He may have returned to England at this time. The year and place of his death are unknown.