Bellars History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

The name Bellars is Anglo-Saxon in origin. It was a name given to a bell-founder or a bellringer. The surname Bellars is derived from the Old English word belle, which means bell.

Early Origins of the Bellars family

The surname Bellars was first found in Cambridgeshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times. The parish of Kirby Bellars in Leicestershire takes its name from the foundation of a college there in 1359 during the reign of Edward II. ^[1]

One of the first records of the family was Roger de Beler (d. 1326), an English judge, who was son of William Beler, and grandson of Roger Beler, Sheriff of Lincolnshire in 1256. "That the family was settled in Leicestershire we know from a license obtained by the judge in 1316 to grant a lay fee in Kirkby-by-Melton, on the Wrethek in that county, to the warden and chaplains of St. Peter, on condition of their performing religious services for the benefit of the souls of himself and his wife Alicia, his father and mother, and ancestry generally." ^[2]

Important Dates for the Bellars family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bellars research. Another 228 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1275, 1500, 1666, 1726, 1687, 1750, 1654, 1725, 1687, 1654 and 1727 are included under the topic Early Bellars History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bellars Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Bellars include Beller, Bellere, Bellier, Biller, Billere, Billier, Billers and many more.

Early Notables of the Bellars family (pre 1700)

Notables of this surname at this time include: Fettiplace Bellers (1687-1750?), English dramatist and philosophical writer, son of John Bellers (1654-1725) and Frances Bellers, was born in the parish of St. Andrew's, Holborn, London, 23 Sept. 1687. His father was a philanthropist, born about 1654 and was a member of the Society of Friends. "When about thirty years old he married Frances...
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bellars Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bellars migration to New Zealand

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Bellars Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

• William Bellars, aged 22, a carpenter, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Douglas" in 1873

Citations

1. ^ Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
2. ^ Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print