Bell Family Crest and Name History

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Bell PDF Surname History


The Ancient History Of The Distinguished Surname Bell

Bell

Contents

Bell history with Bell Family Crest
Suggested Readings for Bell
Surname Notables

About Family Crests

Bell Products

Origins Available: Borderlands, English, French

Where did the English Bell family come from? What is the English coat of arms/family crest? When did the Bell family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the history of the family name?

The Bell surname arose independently from several different sources. In some instances, it comes from the Old English word "belle" meaning "bell," and was most likely an occupational name for a bell ringer. It may have also been a name for someone who lived near a bell. Bell is also known to have arisen from the English and Scots given name Bel, which derived from the Old French "beu" or "bel," meaning "handsome."

Spelling variations of this family name include: Bell, Belle and others.

First found in Dumfriesshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times, long before the Norman Conquest in 1066. Early references to the name in England include Ailuuardus filius Bell listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 in Suffolk; Ricardus filius Bell in 1279 in the Rotuli Hundredorum in Huntingdonshire; Hugo Bel who was in Winton, Hampshire in 1148; Serlo Belle listed in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1190; as well as Roger del Bel, who was in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk of 1209.

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: George Bell, who came to Virginia in 1638; James Bell, who settled in Barbados in 1635; John Bell who settled in Virginia in 1638; Alexander Bell who settled in Virginia in 1654.

For more information on the last name Bell, the PDF Surname History is available for purchase as well as other products.

Suggested Readings for the name Bell

Ancestral Lines and Descendants of Frances Emily (Botsfor, Morse and Jean) (Botsford) Bell by Doreen Potter Hanna.
Backward Glimpse by Iris Bell.
Sir Robert Bell and His Early Virginia Colony Descendants. by James Elton Bell and Frances Jean Bell. Wheatmark, January 2007.

Some noteworthy people of the name Bell

Alexander Melville Bell (1819-1905), American teacher of elocution and father of Alexander Graham Bell
Lawrence Dale Bell (1895-1956), American aircraft designer
Technical Sergeant Bernard Pious Bell (1911-1971), Army soldier and a recipient of the Medal of Honor, for his actions in World War II
Graham Arthur Charlton Bell (b. 1949), English academic, writer, and evolutionary biologist
Arthur Clive Howard Bell (1881-1964), English critic of art and literature
Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell (1868-1926), English archaeologist
George Kennedy Allen Bell (1885-1958), English prelate and ecumenist
Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell (1816-1904), English industrialist and metallurgist
Robert Anning Bell (1863-1933), English painter
Thomas Bell (1792-1800), English naturalist
Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), inventor of the telephone, born in Edinburgh, Scotland, emigrated to the United States in 1870, where he was a Professor of Physiology at Boston University, and exhibited his telephone invention in 1870
William E. Bell (b. 1945), award winning Canadian Young Adult fiction author
Brigadier General George Gray Bell OC, MBE, CD (1920-2000), Canadian soldier, civil servant, and academic awarded the Officer of the Order of Canada in 1988
George John Bell (1872-1944), Australian politician, speaker of the Australian House of Representatives (1934-1940)
John Howatt Bell (1846-1929), Canadian politician from Prince Edward Island
Richard Bell (1946-2007), Canadian musician perhaps best remembered as the pianist for Janis Joplin and her Full Tilt Boogie Band and was a keyboardist with The Band during the 1990s
Robin Bell (b. 1977), Australian slalom canoer named Western Australian Sports Star of the Year in 2005, and became world number one in 2006
Lord Timothy John Leigh Bell (b. 1941), Baron Bell, British advertising and public relations executive in the United Kingdom, best known for his advisory role in Margaret Thatcher's three successful general election campaigns
Andrew Bell (1753-1832), British educationist
Charles Hamilton Bell AO (1960-2005), Australian business executive, president of the American-based fast-food chain McDonald's from December 2002, and additionally as chief executive officer from April to November 2004
George Joseph Bell (1770-1843), Scottish jurist
Henry Bell (1767-1830), Scottish engineer who is famed for introducing the first successful passenger steamboat service in Europe
John Stewart Bell (1928-1990), Irish physicist, and the originator of Bell's Theorem, one of the most important theorems in quantum physics
John Joy Bell (1871-1931), Scottish journalist and author
Sir John Irving Bell FRS, PMedSci (b. 1952), Canadian immunologist and geneticist who resides in the UK. As of 2008, he is President of the Academy of Medical Sciences
John Jay Bell (1871-1934), Scottish journalist and humor writer
Patrick Bell (1799-1869), Scottish clergyman
Sir Robert Bell (1800-1867), Irish man of letters and one of the founders of the Dublin Historical Society

Tell Me More About Family Crests

Family Crests: the Heraldic Artist

We have researched the Bell family crest in the most recognized sources. Before an artist or craftsman can render a family crest, it must exist. In other words the crest must have been designed and recorded by the heralds from time immemorial.

Heraldic designs matriculated by the lay-artist in many cases becomes uninspired, meretricious and even ugly...

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Family Crests: Timeline

Many of the symbols adopted into armory have been used since the time of the ancient Egyptians, but heraldry itself did not begin until the 11th century. In continental Europe, the most ancient recorded family crest was discovered upon the monumental effigy of a Count of Wasserburg in the church of St. Emeran, at Ratisobon, Germany...

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Family Crests: Elements

In the Bell coat of arms as in all coat of arms the crest is only one element of the full armorial achievement. Again the Family Crest is just part of the story of Coats of Arms or Heraldry. Heraldry is defined as the hereditary art or science of blazoning, the description is appropriate technical terms of Coats-of-Arms and other heraldic and armorial insignia, and is of very ancient origin...

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Family Crests and Genealogy: how they relate

We encourage you to study the Bell genealogy to find out if you descend from someone who bore a particular family crest. Anyone making a study of heraldry usually becomes interested in Genealogy or seeking legal claim to a particular family crest. No families, not even the royal houses, can make sound claim to the right to bear arms unless a proven connection is established through attested Genealogical records...

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Bell Family Crest Products

Anniversary

Anniversary products for the name Bell.

Apparel

Apparel featuring the Bell family crest.

Armorial histories

Armorial histories for the name Bell.

Ceramics

Ceramics proudly displaying the Bell coat of arms.

Clip art

Clip art of all the most used heraldic pieces.

Coat of Arms

Coat of Arms for the name Bell.

Downloads

Downloads for the Bell family crest.

Family Crest

Family Crest for the name Bell.

Family Tree

Family Tree emphasing the Bell family crest.

Hand Painted Plaques

Hand Painted Plaques emphasing the family crest for the name Bell.

Keychains

Keychains proudly displaying the Bell family crest.

Mouse pads

Mouse pads with a Bell family crest.

New Products

New Products showing the Bell family crest.

Packages

Packages revealing the Bell family crest.

Plaques and Frames

Plaques and Frames with the coat of arms for the name Bell.

Surname Histories

Surname Histories for the name Bell.

Symbolism

Symbolism revealing the family crest for the surname Bell.

Travel Mugs

Travel Mugs revealing the family crest for the surname Bell.

Popular Products
	Armorial History With Coat of Arms
	Coat of Arms & Surname History Package
	Family Crest Image (jpg) Heritage Series - 300 DPI
	Key-chain
	Coffee Mug
	Armorial History with Frame
	Framed Surname History and Coat of Arms

The Bell Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Bell Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.