Jack Binns was born in Keighley in the West Riding of Yorkshire. He was educated at the local grammar school and at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. Before taking early retirement in 1992, he taught history at Scarborough Sixth Form College. He is the author of many published articles on local history, particularly of the seventeenth century. Jack's books include: "A Place of Great Importance": Scarborough in the Civil Wars (Carnegie Publishing, Preston, 1996); The History of Scarborough (Blackthorn Press, Pickering, 2000); Yorkshire in the Civil Wars (Blackthorn Press, Pickering, 2004); Yorkshire in the Seventeenth Century (Blackthorn Press, Pickering, 2007) and Scarborough's Heroes Rogues and Eccentrics (Blackthorn Press, Pickering 2010).
When not researching and writing history, Jacks enjoys playing crown green bowls and drinking red wine and real ales, though not all at the same time. He has lived in Scarborough for more than 45 years and is the acknowledged authority on the town's past. He is married and has one son and two granddaughters.