" A Bit of Binder String"

The Gibbins Family

" Someone, some day will write a book about the Gibbins Family, but it will have to be someone much better informed than yours truly. The farming members alone run into scores and are contained mainly within the Exeter, Cullompton and Honiton branches. I know just enough of the ramifications of the family to known that it is very large, but not enough to go into detail. However the purpose of mentioning this remarkable clan is to pen a song which may be of interest to you and which, I am told used to be sung often by Grandfather Gibbins, who I may add is still very active and of our oldest members.

The Devonshire Farmer Eastern. [Perhaps this is a local farming newspaper]

A Bit of Binder String.

Dost mind Bill Bates as used to work for Drake at Badgers End
There weren’t a tool about the farm this feller couldn’t mend
From a hayfork to a harvester or any mortal thing
Old Bill could always fix it with a bit if binder string

One day a Friesian bull got out and raged and tore around
Nobody dared go near ‘im as he roared and hooked the ground
Till Boss shouts “Bill” the bull’s got out and been and broke his ring
An Bill lassoed the beggar wi’ a bit of binder string

Bill courted Mabel seven years an’; then he said “Let’s wed”
I’ve got a table an’ some chairs an’ Granny’s feather bed
Ther’s half a ton o’ taters up in the field as I can bring
An’ I’ve made some handsome doormats out of thic’ there binder string
Well Mabel said “ We’d best get wed before they cut the hay
So they had a slap up Wedding on the seventeenth of May
But when they got to the church Bill found he had gone and lost the ring
So he had to marry Mabel with a loop of binder string

Next year a little daughter came to bless the happy pair
Wi’ girt blue eyes and a tuft of ginger hair
And Bill, he says to Parson at the baby’s Christening
Zee, ‘er be just the colour of a bit of binder string

Well time went on an’ old Bill died an’ came to Heaven’s Door
He heard them all a singing there and he was worried sore
An’ he says to good St. Peter, “Zir I’ve never sung before
I were always kep’ so busy mendin’ things wi’ binder string”
“Don’t worry Bill”, St. Peter said “The Good Lord understands
He’ve been a carpenter and likes to see folk use their hands
An we’m veryhappy to see ‘ee here, we’ve plenty who can sing
But we need a handy chap like thee, has ‘ee brought some binder string?

So Bill do bide in Heaven now, he’s very happy there
He’s got a liddle workshop round behind St. Peter’s chair
An’ while the Angels play their harps and all the saints do sing
Bill mends the little cherub’s toys with bits of binder string. "

Note: Sadly we do not know who wrote this page, it is a copy of a hand written note found in the farm papers and maps when we moved to the farm in 1991.

The Elusive George Gibbins

George GIBBINS, possible son of Edward GIBBINS and Mary QUICK, was born about 1755, died in Broadclyst Devonshire, and was buried on 21 Jan 1841 in Bickleigh Tiverton Devonshire.
General Notes: I have not been able to find the christening and therefore not confirmed who George's parents are. I believe him to be a child of Edward Gibbins as Edward was christening children in Bickleigh at this time, 1735 to 1755.
• Occupation: Farmer.
• Residence: Abt 1781, Well Place Bickleigh Tiverton Devonshire. The Land Tax Assessments show George renting Well Place from Mrs Gill from 1789 to 1792
• Residence: Abt 1795, Bradford Farm Halberton Devonshire. The Land Tax Assessments show George renting Pitt and Bradford, tax levied at £7-9-2
• Residence: Abt 1824, Pound Tenement Silverton Devonshire. The Land tax Assessments show George renting Pound from, what looks like the name Gwyn, tax paid was £3-6-6d. George took on apprentices for Pound, James King aged 10 in 1820 and William Hollett aged 9 in 1833
• Residence: Abt 1832, Town Silverton Devonshire. The Land Tax Assessments show he paid a tax of £3-6-4
• Residence: Abt 1841, Broadclyst Devonshire.

George married Elizabeth BURSELL on 1 Aug 1781 in Bickleigh Tiverton Devonshire. Elizabeth was born about 1756 and was buried on 23 Feb 1837 in Bickleigh Tiverton Devonshire. Marriage Notes: Witness: Jane and Eleanor Clapp
General Notes: I have searched for many years to find Elizabeth's parents to no avail, but I would think she is a relative of the BURSELL family from Halberton.

Their children:

+ 2 F i Mary GIBBINS was christened on 30 Jun 1782 in Bickleigh Tiverton Devonshire.
+ 3 M ii. George GIBBINS was christened on 11 Nov 1784 in Bickleigh Tiverton Devonshire and died on 16 Sep 1858 in Cullompton Devonshire aged 73.
4 F iii. Elizabeth GIBBINS was christened on 17 Sep 1787 in Bickleigh Tiverton Devonshire.
+ 5 F iv. Sarah GIBBINS was christened on 14 Feb 1790 in Bickleigh Tiverton Devonshire.
6 F v. Mary GIBBINS was born on 9 Aug 1791 and was christened on 9 Apr 1792 in Cullompton Devonshire.
7 M vi. Edward GIBBINS was christened on 26 Dec 1793 in Tiverton Devonshire, died in Halberton Devonshire, and was buried on 30 May 1794 in Bickleigh Tiverton Devonshire.
+ 8 M vii. John GIBBINS was born on 17 Mar 1795 in Halberton Devonshire, was christened on 6 Jan 1796 in Cullompton Devonshire, died on 8 Mar 1856 aged 60, and was buried on 15 Mar 1856 in Broadclyst Devonshire.
9 F viii. Jane GIBBINS was born in Halberton Devonshire and was christened on 30 Jan 1799 in Butterleigh Devonshire.

The Gibbons Surname

Origins of the Surname.

The name is spelt in many different ways over the years, Gibbins, Gibbings, Gibbens, Gubbins, Gubbons, Gibbons, and sometimes with just one “b” with or without the “s”. In many earlier documents it is shown as Gybbons, Gybbens, even Guibbon, or Guibon.

I often ignore the various spelling of names as they are nearly always spelt phonetically, but I would like to note that there seems to be a trend for Edward the Historian to be “Gibbon”, as is the name of Thomas the MP for Exeter, c.1654. The musical family is “Gibbons”. My husband’s family is “Gibbins”, with one exception, a cousin who became so fed up with correcting the spelling from Gibbons to Gibbins gave up using the “i” and kept the “o”.

The surname is described as follows:

1. Son of Gilbert, English, patronymic derived from the Christian name Gilbert 'pledge, bright,' a favourite name during the Middle Ages, partly due to Gilbert of Sempringham who founded the Gilbertine order in the twelfth century and was canonized in 1202.
2. Place name Marsh Gibbon in Buckinghamshire.
3. Ralph Gibiun 1176 is one of the first recorded users of the name.
4. French meaning gift-friend.
5. Gibbwn, the gire-falcon
6. Gibbs - an English surname from the dim. of Gilbert. Gibbon appears as a personal name 15th C. The variant Gibby may derive from the Welsh name Cybi. Gibb, Gibbon, Gibbons, Gibby, Gibba.

The earliest example if the name I have found in Devon is:
1332 Richard Gyboun paid tax of 12d in the Hundred of Colliton Devon, Lay subsidy.

Introduction

Good day m’dears.

The reason for doing a blog is so that I can share my genealogy research. It seems a shame to leave it sat on the hard drive going nowhere, and it would be wonderful if I can find answers to the many questions and gaps I have.

I also have a passion for sheepdogs. We have had Border Collies for many years and now have two Australian Kelpies. So will use the blog to help these wonderful dogs get recognition and the right kind of home this busy little dog needs, too many are ending up needing re homing.

My Hatley family came to Hampshire from the Shutford area of Oxfordshire, a Catholic family. I hope to put a chart on here to describe this family and my research.

The Gibbins name is my husband’s, all from Devon. I want to get this tree back further, but am stuck with being unable to find the parents and christening, c. 1756 of one George Gibbins of Bickleigh near Tiverton. To try and find this man I have started to work on a One Name Study of Gibbins and all its many spellings variations in Devon before 1760. This has led me, with help of my very good friend Elizabeth Howard, to glean notes on many interesting Gibbons families, some out side the county, like the musical Gibbons, Orlando and Edward, the ancestors of the Historian Edward or Edmund Gibbon. I also have notes on Heraldry.