Author Topic: the "bloody" Bells from middlebie  (Read 21221 times)

Offline serafianna

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the "bloody" Bells from middlebie
« on: Sunday 03 January 10 17:05 GMT (UK) »
Hi
have only just joined this site and have no dates or other info to hand right now but was curious to see if there are any people out there looking into this family.
my father is Francis Bell, as were his grandfather and great grandfather. his great grandfather married sarah, and he was from middlebie in dumfries - could he have been from somewhere called the heights, or high heights? a farm anyway. he moved to caldbeck in cumberland, where his son and great grandson were born (william Edward and his brother john.) my grandfather william edward married jane and they lived in carlisle where my father was born.
the original francis who moved to caldbeck has a headstone in st kentigern's church with the three bells crest on it. when the church decided to move the old headstones to make more room in the churchyard, his was left were it was as it is an historical momunent apparently - which is where we learnt from the vicar that they were known locally as the bloody bells, it wasn't just me being rude.
i can supply some dates etc for this francis, when i look them up. my father also has some dates in a family bible.  we have visited middlebie churchyard, but there are so many graves there with family names on (robert, john, francis, william, sarah, mary and hannah) that we gave up and went home. one day i was gonna do something a bit more positive - guess today's the day!
bell proudfoot mcewan stuart

Offline mosstrooper

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Re: the "bloody" Bells from middlebie
« Reply #1 on: Monday 04 January 10 19:35 GMT (UK) »
Welcome to the board, I hope you have a good experience here. The best way to have that is to provide as much info as possible so that others know what you have covered and don't spend time on stuff that is known.

Your enquiry is general at the moment so probably the best place to start is here :-

http://www.clanbell.org/content/view/47/86/

Blacks "The Surnames of Scotland" states "The name Bell was common on the Scotish Border for centuries and the Belles are included in the 1587 list of unruly clans in the West Marches. Families of the name long predominated in the parish of Middlebie, insomuch that the ‘Bells of Middlebie’ was a current phrase throughout Dumfriesshire."

James.

Offline serafianna

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Re: the bloody bells from middlebie
« Reply #2 on: Thursday 07 January 10 14:28 GMT (UK) »
cheers James thanks for that. I'll get to it as soon as I can prise Marko's sticky little fingers from football manager for long enough - he's allowed me this five mins in the last few days to answer email!
bell proudfoot mcewan stuart

Offline sladmay

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Re: the "bloody" Bells from middlebie
« Reply #3 on: Monday 30 August 10 05:42 BST (UK) »
William Bell (born1806 at Middlebie,) married Janet Thompsn (born 1810 at Middlebie). The Marriage was at Annan on 1st, November, 1831.  Any one out there related?
They moved to Carlisle afer a few years and three(?) children.  (Mary-c13 Jan 1831, Robert-c9 dec 1833, William--1838, John-1841, Jane-1841((twins?)), James-1843, Eleanor-1848, Robert-1850.)
I don't know of any siblings or parents yet.  Anyone have any further information?
Many thnks for an other leads.
                 David


Offline aussie-g

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Re: the "bloody" Bells from middlebie
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 07 February 12 05:10 GMT (UK) »
to sladmay, hi, cousin somewhere down the line... received reply re Eleanor born 2 years before Robert{my relo} Strange but I live in lower Blue Mts {Blaxland} and have been to Norfolk Is twice and perhaps again this year... walked around the Cemetery many times .. not research but of Hist. Interest. Maybe we can meet or swap emails. Seems that you, like my sister and I, haven't got further back than William and Janet Cheers :) aussie-g {Graham}

Offline KerrUSA

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Re: the "bloody" Bells from middlebie
« Reply #5 on: Monday 13 February 12 15:05 GMT (UK) »
Not sure where my Bell ancestors might fit in ...

My great-great-grandmother was Mary Bell, daughter of James Bell and Helen (Neilson) Bell.  She was born 29 March 1826 in Branetrig, married David Kerr 05 November 1847.  I have not yet learned her date or place of death.

My great-great-great-great-great-grandmother was Janet Bell, born 04 July 1742 in Dumfries.  She married James Tweedie around 1764 and died 27 December 1808 in Mouswald.  I have not yet discovered the identity of her parents, nor how she and Mary Bell might be related.

Strictly speaking, however, neither appears to be from Middlebie.
Scotland:  Kerr, Bell, Tweedie, Johnstone, Carruthers, Moffat, Jardine
England:  Willis, Outhwaite, Groves, Masters, Kentish, Jenner
Germany:  Pellman (Pöhlman), Schimmel, Meier (Meyer)
BeNeLux:  Trum, Kurt, Hamburg

Offline marken

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Re: the "bloody" Bells from middlebie
« Reply #6 on: Monday 30 April 12 17:18 BST (UK) »
My mother called them the "mad Bells from Middlebie" apparently border reivers! my great grandmother was Jessie Bell (b. 1860) gggrandparent was Robert Bell(b.1814) & his father was david b.1780. Jessie Bell married Philip Little from Gretna & they also moved to Carlisle (but via Motherwell as Philip was a train driver & was moved about)
Effin/ Doneraille areas

Cremin/Walsh/Sheehy/hannigan

Offline dkbell

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Re: the "bloody" Bells from middlebie
« Reply #7 on: Thursday 30 May 13 06:33 BST (UK) »
I have a William Bell married to Hannah Brown. Christened 1797. They had 7 children Sarah, Robert, Hannah, Mary, Gertrude, Emily and William. His parents I am fairly certain is John Bell his wife Esther Simpson. Esther was born in Caldbeck, they had 4 children Mary, John, William and Esther. John MAY be the child of John Bell and Phoebe Richardson from Brampton.

Esther appears to have family buried in the Caldbeck cemetery. I am not sure where John is buried. He died 15 May 1798.

Offline Gillybell

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Re: the "bloody" Bells from middlebie
« Reply #8 on: Thursday 12 June 14 23:02 BST (UK) »
I am descended from Francis Bell of Middlebie as well. Would you be interested in the family details that I have. I have found a will that tells us the names of the houses that different family members lived in in Caldbeck. I don't know much about Francis except that he is buried in the church in Caldbeck and I have seen the grave. I would love to know which Bell family he is from in Middlebie.