Herbert North was the son of Joseph Bingham and Emma Bingham nee North. Herbert was born on 28 August 1870 (J/A/S Mansfield) and baptised in Pinxton on 8 January 1871.
His father Joseph was born in South Normanton and his mother Emma in New Brinsley. The couple had at least eight children: North b 27 September 1866 (bap. 10 May 1868 Pinxton), John (bap. 10 May 1868 Pinxton), Herbert North b. 28 August 1870, Walter b. 1872 (O/N/D Mansfield), Elizabeth Slater b. 13 October 1875 (bap. 5 November 1875 Pixton), Sarah Hannah b. 1877, Ann Maria b. 6 January 1879 (bap. 9 February 1879) and Emma North (bap. 27 February 1881). All the children were born in Pinxton.
In 1871 Joseph (27), a blacksmith, and his wife Emma (25) were living with their three sons, North (5), John (3) and Herbert (7 months), in Pinxton in the home of Emma's parents John North (56), a licensed victualler, and his wife Elizabeth (Bessie).
By the time of the next census in 1881 Joseph (36) was living on Wharf Road, Pinxton, and listed as a licensed victualler and farmer of 8 acres. Seven of their children were in the home on the night of the census: John, Herbert (10), Walter (8), Elizabeth (5), Sarah (4), Ann (2) and Emma (2 months). Also in the household was Bessie North (61) Joseph's widowed mother who was of independent means, his niece Susanna Watts (21) who was a domestic servant and two female general servants. Their eldest son, North, was an apprentice confectioner in the household of Samuel and Sarah Boler at 1 Leeming Street, Mansfield.
Herbert (24) married Annie Ancliff nee Burrow, the daughter of Francis Burrow, in Pinxton parish church on 26 February 1895 (1895 J/F/M Mansfield); both were resident in the parish.
Annie (b. 1866 J/F/M Sheffield) had married Walter Ancliff (28) on 22 April 1888 in Codnor and Loscoe, Derbyshire, and they had one child, Florence May b. 1891 (J/A/S Mansfield). Walter died the year after his daughter was born (1892 J/A/S Mansfield) at the age of 32.
According to the 1911 Census, Herbert and Annie had had seven children of whom only three were still living at the time of the census. Four children have been traced on either the census or baptismal records: Ethel North b. 8 November 1895 South Normanton (baptised 5 August 1896, Pinxton), Cyril North b. 26 July 1898 (baptised 4 September 1898) died 1899 (A/M/J Mansfield), Doris Kathleen b. 1902 (A/M/J Mansfield and baptised 4 May 1902, Pinxton) death registered 1904 (J/F/M Mansfield) and Arthur Frank b. 4 February 1906 Mansfield (J/F/M Mansfield). It seems likely that they included Florence May Ancliff as one of the seven children as only two of their own children, Ethel and Arthur, appear to have survived. The report of Herbert's death in the local paper in 1917 also said that he left two daughters and a son.
At the time of Ethel's baptism in August 1896 the family was living in South Normanton and Herbert was an inn keeper; they were living in the same village and Herbert was in the same occupation at the time of Cyril's baptism two years later in September 1898.
At the time of the 1901 Census, though, Herbert was the publican of the Crown Inn, Hucknall Torkard. In the home on the night of the census were his wife Annie, their surviving child, Ethel (4), Annie's daughter Florence (9) and Herbert's widowed mother-in-law, E Burrows (62), and a general servant.
According to a 1904 street directory Herbert was then the licensee at the Portland Arms public house at 21 Albert Street, Mansfield. His older brother, North, was a baker and confectioner at 4 Leeming Street, Mansfield.
By 1911 Herbert was the licensee of the Black Horse Inn, Somercotes. Also in the household on the night of the census were his wife Annie (45), their two surviving children, Ethel (15) and Arthur (5) and Annie's daughter by her first marriage, Florence May Ancliffe (sic) (19) a domestic. The name of a domestic servant, Annie Straw (14), was deleted from the census form; this might be because she 'lived out' so was not in the house on the night of the census.
Herbert enlisted in the Canadian Forces in 1915 but it is not known when the family emigrated to Canada, assuming that Annie and the children accompanied Herbert. The Probate record has Herbert's home address as Radisson, Saskatchewan, Canada, while the report of his death in the local paper in 1917 gave his widow's address as 25 Chaucer Street, Mansfield; it is also the address on the subsequent CWGC record. If Annie had emigrated to Canada she may well have returned home once it was known that Herbert would be serving in France since this would make home leave possible (according to the newspaper report of his death Herbert had had home leave in Mansfield a year before his death).
The newspaper report noted that Herbert left three children - two daughters and a son - who were probably Florence, Ethel and Arthur. Arthur Frank died in 1990 (June Basford).