From religious martyrs to poets, political activists and a particularly infamous armed robber, the Barnes name features prominently in the historical record. Found throughout the British Isles from earliest times, one of the many theories of the name’s origin is that it may be of ancient Anglo-Saxon roots. One truly adventurous and pioneering bearer of the name was Florence “Pancho” Barnes, the married name of the early twentieth century American aviatrix Florence Leontine Lowe, born in 1901. She learned to fly in 1928 and, taking to the skies as if this was her natural habitat, she broke Amelia Earhart’s world women’s speed record with a speed of 196.19mph (315.7km/h). two years later. Much in demand as a daring lady of the skies, she became a stunt pilot – most notably performing dangerous stunts in the 1930 film Hell’s Angels. The uplifting tale of bearers of the Barnes name is chronicled here.
