[1] Binning attended his father at the funeral of King James in London, and later was a canopy bearer during Charles I's 1633 coronation in Edinburgh at Holyrood Abbey.

Binning succeeded to his father's titles in 1637, and the following year, at the King's urging, signed the National Covenant.

When General Leslie advanced into England in 1640, he left armaments behind at Duns, Haddington retrieved them and brought them back to his headquarters at Dunglass Castle, to prevent their capture by the English garrison at Berwick upon Tweed.

On 29 August, he beat back an attempt of the garrison of Berwick to capture a magazine of victuals and arms near Coldstream.

[3] Haddington, who was standing in the courtyard reading correspondence from Leslie to his kinsfolk and men, was killed.