Origins
The Scottish surname Bell has three possible derivations. It may be descriptive, from the Old French “bel” (“handsome”). It is in the sense that we find “Peter le Bel” in the Hundred Rolls of 1273. Alternatively, it may be of local derivation, as in the Middle English “John atte Belle,” from the sign of a public house. Finally, it may be a metronymic, as in Robert fil Bell, that is, Robert the son of Belle or Isabel.” The surname has been connected with Scotland since at least the 13th century, when John Bell appeared as a notary in Saint Andrew’s in 1248. A family of the name was hereditarily connected with the church of Dunkeld, and the name was also common on the border for centuries, with the “Bells” being included in the list of unruly clans in the West Marches in 1587. The Bells in Middlebie were so predominant that the phrase “Bells of Middlebie” was current throughout Dumfrieshire.
References to this name include the christening of Andrew which took place on June 23, 1706, in Monimail. Fif., Scotland. William Bell and Margaret Wishart were married on April 3, 1746, in Dochenflat, Middlebie, Scotland. Agnes Bell was born on April 5, 1747, in Middlebie, Dumfries, Scotland. The marriage of Alexander Bell and Ann Thompson took place on May 21, 1824, in Duddingston, Midlothian, Scotland. Among the notable bearers of the name born in Scotland are Robert Bell, printer of the first edition of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, who died in Virginia in 1784, and the Reverend Patrick Bell (1800-1869), inventor of the reaping machine and
founder of mechanical harvesting.
Coat of Arms
Blazon: Azure, a fesse ermine between three bells (gold) or.
Crest: A roe feeding proper
Symbolism:
Azure – A bright blue color which represents truth and loyalty.
Bell – Bells signify one who is not afraid of announcing their approach, even in danger. Church bells represent driving out evil.
Ermine – (er’-min) One of the furs used in blazoning, represented by a field of white with black spots. It is a mark of dignity, often royalty.
Fesse – (fes) A strip or band placed horizontally across the shield. It represents a military belt or girdle of honor.
Or – The color gold. It denotes the qualities of generosity and elevation of mind.
Tartan
Scots can claim a tartan based factors such as a clan or the place an ancestor worked or lived.
The Bell family are associated with the Borders, and may descend from a Norman follower of David I. By the end of the thirteenth century they were well established in Dumfriesshire, Berwickshire and Perthshire. The name may derive from the French ‘bel’, meaning ‘fair’ or ‘handsome’. The arms attributed to the principal family are in the nature of canting, or punning, heraldry, alluding to the pronunciation of the name rather than its origin. The Bells participated in the Borders disturbances as one of the riding clans of border reivers. In the thirteenth century Gilbert Le Fitzbel held lands in Dumfries. In 1426 William Bell’s lands of Kirkconnel were confirmed by James I under a charter recorded in the register of the great seal. The Bells, along with other Borders families, became increasingly turbulent throughout the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The Crown’s determination to pacify the Borders led in 1517 to the Clan Bell receiving royal letters of warning to keep the peace. Their tower, Blacket House was destroyed in a raid by the English in 1547, although some remains of it survive today.
Aberdeenshire
DNA testing suggests that the region in Scotland the Bells originated from is likely Aberdeenshire.
Extract from LivingDNA.com
Aberdeenshire
Great Britain and Ireland
Aberdeen and the surrounding areas of Northeast Scotland display a unique genetic signature. The first milestone in the genetic journey begins at the end of the last ice age 12,000 years ago, and it all started with immigration. Groups of people from what we now call Europe travelled the long journey to Scotland as the vast ice sheet began to melt. These nomadic hunters are thought to have contributed to the genetic signature here to this day. A second migration wave of farmers (most likely from Brittany) spread into Scotland and revolutionised the way in which people lived. From hunter-gathers to skilled farmers, the lives of the people in what came to be Scotland were changed forever.
The people of North East Scotland lived in the area from the Iron Age until the 11th Century. These people were known collectively as the ‘Picts’ and were tribal farming communities. They have a reputation as being unruly, troublesome and free-spirited, but new ideas suggest they were highly organised, with a strong military and classed social structures. They were named “Picti” by the Romans, which is Latin for “painted ones” – this was not because they brushed themselves in blue paint as the movies suggest, but because they were covered in tattoos.
Similarities in genetic signatures
Scotland is often considered part of a solidified “Celtic” legacy, sharing genetic signatures and culture with Wales, Cornwall, and Ireland. However, the true genetic history is a much different story: an unequivocally more exciting one. Until the end of the last ice age around 12,000 years ago, what we now know as Aberdeenshire showcased a vast and freezing landscape, with snow as far as the eye could see. The very first settlers in Scotland shared a similar genetic signature to people in Germany, Belgium, and France today, and most likely came over to Britain via the land bridge from Europe (Leslie et al., 2015). The reasons for such migrations are intertwined with the changing landscape and the migration of animals. As the ice melted, people followed the growing trees, flourishing forage and herds of prey, such as deer. They were true hunter-gatherers and took any opportunity to get their next meal to survive. It is apparent that the regions across Britain likely share a very similar early connection, but migrations after the Ice Age have led to a diversification of DNA.
Around 6000 years ago, the Middle Stone Age ended with the transition into the New Stone Age. This era was brought about by a huge change to daily life, with the introduction of farming.
It does not appear that farming was simply discovered by the people of what is now known as Aberdeenshire, instead people traveled vast distances from Europe, bringing with them the knowledge of raising livestock and manipulating the land (Collard et al., 2015).
The remains of a New Stone Age hall made from timber at Balbridie has made experts think that these first farmers came from Northern France (Aberdeenshire Council). It is likely that these early farmers intermixed and settled with the first people of Scotland, and therefore may contribute to the DNA today.
Invasion influence in Aberdeenshire
The Romans encountered the people of Scotland during their invasions of Britain from 43 AD. They named the population “Picts”, meaning “painted ones”. The DNA of the Picts was likely made up of the previous migrations to Scotland – in the Middle Stone Age from Germany, France, and Belgium and in the New Stone Age from Brittany. However, their exact origins are constantly debated among academics (BBC, 2014). The Romans had little influence over the North West of Scotland and left the Picts unconquered. Reflecting this, there is not yet any evidence of any Roman genetic legacy (Leslie et al., 2015). Unlike the rest of England and Southern Scotland, Aberdeenshire was little affected by the cumulative invasions experienced by the rest of the UK. It is thought that the North East could have the strongest genetic ‘Pictish’ signature in Scotland – unlike West Scotland, Aberdeenshire was less influenced by the genetic signature brought over by the Irish Dalriada in 550 AD, and held off subsequent invaders. The Picts were therefore dominant in Aberdeenshire until the 11th Century when Irish expansion led to Scotland becoming a Gaelicised kingdom – The Kingdom of Alba (BBC, 2014).
Despite raids and invasions, the Viking invasions across Britain appear to have had little impact in terms of genetics. However, Scotland is different from England and Wales due to the greater influence of Norse DNA, which likely came from Norway with the Vikings. The further north you travel, the greater percentage of Scandinavian DNA is found. For example, genetic studies suggest that northerly parts of Scotland such as Caithness have as much as 17.5% Norse DNA (Daily Mail, 2014). The most significant quantities of Viking DNA are found in the Orkneys, which have been more influenced by Scandinavian settlement than Aberdeenshire.
The tribes in Scotland and Ireland in the Iron Age (often referred to as Germanic and Celtic) were described by Roman writers as having fiery red hair (BBC History, 2014).
Red hair and pale skin only occurs in around 1% of the human population, but is high in frequency in Scotland and Ireland.
Approximately 13% of people in Scotland have red hair and 10% in Ireland, and the gene is thought to have evolved in reaction to the cold European climate from as early as 50,000 years ago (Martinez-Cadenas, et al., 2013). Genetic studies on Neanderthals have discovered that they also carried the gene for ginger hair (Culotta, 2007). However, it is yet uncertain whether or not interbreeding between neanderthals and modern humans is the origin of red hair seen today.
How the Bell ancient Aberdeenshire ancestors would’ve lived
After the vast glaciers of Scotland began to retreat after the last ice age, people from Europe began to inhabit the area. These nomads were well aware of the most optimal places to find food, and appear to have spent most of their time in coastal regions to fish. Their diet would have included an array of seafood, but they would have ventured across more central lands to pursue larger prey and forage for berries and plants. In a very unglamorous fashion, we get most of our knowledge on these people from ‘middens’ – prehistoric rubbish dumps. They show us what people ate and what they discarded, such as shells from the seafood they consumed. There is not yet reason to believe that the first people in what is now known as Aberdeenshire had permanent dwellings, instead, they were probably nomads travelling the Scottish lands in search of the best food they could obtain.
With the migration of European settlers came the end of the Middle Stone Age.
The migration brought not only people, but brand new, life changing techniques for the rugged hunter gatherers of Scotland – farming. This marks the introduction of the New Stone Age, an era of great change and development.
Hunter-Gatherers and Picts in Aberdeenshire
The hunter-gatherers of Scotland lived alongside the new farming settlers, gradually picking up their techniques. This led to more permanent housing and a move away from being travelling nomads to settled farmers. Instead of living off of the natural landscape, people began to manipulate it to their advantage. They cleared forests to grow crops and raise livestock – they truly began to live off of the land, not just survive on it.
The Picts dominated the Scottish lands from the Iron Age until the 11th Century. They are known in archaeology by the grand memorial stones they created, which are most common in the North East of Scotland.
The stone carvings became more elaborate and defined over the years. Sueno’s Stone near Forres is a perfect example of how elaborate and huge these stone carvings could become, and is now preserved within a glass container on site (Undiscovered Scotland, 2016).
However, there is much more known about the Picts than solely stones. They were not one tribe as we once thought, but many separate tribes in structured chiefdoms. It is thought that, unlike their unruly reputation, they were actually highly organised, with a structured military and classed society (Aberdeenshire Council, a). In more western parts of Scotland, the Picts disappear from history much earlier than in the East. The Irish Kingdom of the Dalriada spread out into western areas by 550 AD, and gradually blended into Pictish society, making the area Gaelic. However, the East of Scotland resisted such Irish migrations, and the Picts remained until the 11th Century when a decline of Pictish identity and a Gaelicised Scotland began (BBC, 2014a). The Picts have been portrayed in blockbuster movies, such as Braveheart, where the Roman descriptions of the tribes were taken a little too literally. The name comes from the Roman description “Picti”, meaning “painted ones”. However, unlike popular belief, they did not cover themselves in blue paint and were actually heavily tattooed (Snow, 2001). From what we understand about them, the Picts seem to have been strong-willed and willing to fight for their freedom. They lived in farming communities much like the first farmers during the New Stone Age.
Bell’s in Scotland
Credit for the following goes to Simon Schorback and Coral Sonntag (nee Bell) also Kim our very helpful geneaologist.
In the early 1800s events such as the war with France had taken their toll on the UK. Ex-servicemen needing jobs, increase industrialisation and an agricultural depression caused by low yield harvests. The government was broke, there was a rising population and high rates of unemployment. Relief for the poor became urgent.
Another factor contributing to the economic distress in the counties of southern England, was the decline in the demand for English Southdown wool. This was being ousted from the market by wool from German sheep crossed with Spanish merinos.
This period became so distressing for agricultural labourers and tradesmen that the Parish officials began encouraging them to emigrate to Australia.
The following link explains the bounty scheme much better than I could ever hope to.
‘Australian Emigration—Fort William’
“After some months of expectation and anxiety, Dr. Boyter, the Government emigration agent for Australia, arrived at Fort William on 18th current. The news of his arrival, like the fiery cross of old, soon spread through every glen of the district, and at an early hour on Monday, thousands of enterprising Gaels might be seen ranked around the Caledonian Hotel, anxious to quit the land of their forefathers and to go and possess the unbounded pastures of Australia. . . . While we regret that so many active men should feel it necessary to leave their own country, the Highlands will be considerably relieved of its over-plus population”
Inverness Courier, 30 May 1838
The government sponsored Bounty Scheme, known is Australia as Langs Bounty Scheme brough about 5,200 emigrants from Scotland to Australia. It was initated as a relief measure for the UK population by Lord Glenelg, Secretary of State for the colonies, and was promoted vigorously by Rev. James Dunmore Lang in 1836. There were 20 ships in the scheme taking passengers drawn mainly from the destitute areas in the Highlands and islands from 1837 – 40.
Both assisted emigration and unassisted private emigration increased steadily from 1836 onwards, reaching a peak in 1839— 40, when Scotland as a whole, and the north-east in particular, experienced its second surge of enthusiasm for the Australian colonies as a field for emigration and investment.
Between 1837 and 1846 assisted emigrants, largely working-class people, greatly outnumbered the unassisted emigrants. The Scottish emigration for the ten years numbered about 12,000 persons, of whom about 10,000 were brought out under either the government or colonial bounty systems, so that the proportion of Scots among the incomers rose to about a sixth, as against a tenth in the six years before 1838. For the first time, there was a considerable influx of working-class Scots.
The Bell Bible
Finding the ‘Bell Bible’ was a huge breakthrough in our research. Coral Sonntag recalls that her Grandfather Allen Bell had written some details of the family history into it. As Allen was the only Victorian of the decended line this was the best access to research that we had. After having already given up on finding the bible, we had looked for it for many years, we had all presumed it to have been lost. Coral had spoken with her brother Ivan Bell, who had seen it, but had no idea where it was. We got a clue, that is was in the farmhouse, in the top shelf of a cupboard in the kitchen at Neville Bell’s ‘Bellvidere’ residence. His son’s James and Collin had used a step-ladder a couple of times to look for the bible – no bible to be found. Jenny another cousin who we contacted thought that it might have been in storage at her farm. After much searching she found the bible, but there were no documents inside – just a sizeable list of her father’s (Stan Bell’s) lawn bowls sporting achievements. On the 8th June, 2020 the documents were found, neatly placed in a folder in storage at Jenny’s property in Ballarat. And for appropriate Ballarat terminology to be used EUREKA!!!
The famous Bell Bible!
William Bell travelling on the Dauntless
The Dauntless clue was given mainly from an obituary notice found in the Adelaide papers, where is states that he travelled aboard the ‘Dondalas’.
Although I am still actively trying to find the exact location that William Bell (1820) lived in, it is our best guess that he travelled aboard the ‘Dauntless’ leaving the Port or Greenock in Scotland in 1840. The Dauntless left Greenock on 16 Februare 1840 and arrived in Port Adelaide on 9th July that same year. It later travelled on to Sydney (arriving 17th Sept). The Dauntless was built in 1837 and weighed 698 tonnes. Although William is not listed on any passenger list, it is our belief that he is part of the ’85’ who travelled.
Dauntless details: 698 tons, Captain William Miller master, from Greenock 17 Feb, arrived Adelaide 10 July with 85 passengers, and left Adelaide 8th Aug. Image Scotland 105-6 has 22 + 8 Cabin names, 12 in the steerage and 5 convicts (prisoners) with 2 constables
Dr Fletcher Surgeon Superintendent, Passengers Mrs Fletcher, Messrs A and G Fletcher, Misses A and E Fletcher, Mr Clarke Mr Inglis, Mr Wallace and Mrs or Miss Wallace,
Passengers from Adelaide – Miss Rickets, Mr and Mrs Deseke, Messrs Baddley/Baderly, Cooker, Dabrill, Gogerty, Wurr
Passengers for Sydney from Adelaide – Messrs Ball, Crumpton, Gill, Townsend, Miss Laimmon Mr and Mrs Fisher and 6 chn, Mr Dunbar, Mr Grant, Mr Cochrane Mr Hay Mr Daw,
4 Sep cleared for Sydney with part of original cargo, passengers Miss M Wyne, Mr Jennings,
It is likely that he lived in one of the counties that would use Greenock as a main port. The documents in the Bell Bible list William has having been born in Ayr (which is a county) or Kirkcudbright – pronounced kir-coo-bree (both a small villiage and shire in the South of Scotland). Perhaps this is correct, but it is likely that he lived, at least for a time in Lanarkshire.
William also worked as the occupation of baker in Adelaide, upon his arrival.
There are a number of Bells who were bakers around that area of Glasgow, which could be a clue if it was a profession passed through family members.
The ship ‘Dondalas’ gives no results (no matter how long many times you type it into Google), but if you look at the shipping list, and say ‘Dondalas’ with a thick Scottish accent you can make the connection that Williams ship was the ‘Dauntless’. I’ll admit to having said ‘Dondalas’ many time, and the more you say it, the more you believe that the Dauntless must be the ship.
The passenger list for the Dauntless, as with most passenger vessels of that time arriving in Australia is incomplete, which means that most of the passengers were not recorded. We also know that William arrived in Australia as a baker, and was a profession passed down to his sons and grandsons to leave a legacy of 3 generations of bakers in South Australia. Perhaps having a useful profession skill made him a more desirable candite for passage to Australia compared to other Scots.
The voyage aboard the dauntless seemed like a wild ride. Rations were reduced to the point of starvation in the early weeks. There were threats of mutiny by the crew. Passengers aboard seemed no better behaved, with some passengers shooting an albatross and also a dolphin to bring aboard. A well-liked young man also fell overboard while releiving himself over the side of the ship. A wooden crate used to house geese was thrown overboard as a make-shift flotation device (with the geese still inside). Upon circling back, the man and the geese were nowhere to be seen, sadly to have drowned at sea.
A common barque of that time
Fanny Lockyer in England
Fanny Lockyer and her family lived in Alderbury, Wiltshire England. The surrounding towns of Britford, Farley and Burcombe are all a short drive from each other, in the very Southern part of England.
Fanny’s parents were Sarah Roberts and Thomas Lockyer. We know from the 1841 census that Sarah was not included, with just Thomas and the children being listed, with Sarah having likely died just prior. We also know that Sarah and Thomas were likely first cousins, with each of their mothers being sisters in the cable family.
George Roberts married Lydia Cable (Sarah Robert’s Parents) and Joseph Lockyer married Frances Cable (Thomas Lockyer’s parents) .
Bells in South Australia
Port Adelaide in 1845 (SA Archives)
William Bell arrived in Port Adelaide on the 15 August 1840 as a free-settling colonist. While in Adelaide, William worked as a baker. In a newspaper in 1845 William Bell looks like he voted agains bringing more convicts to the South Australian colony. It is possible that this is a different ‘William Bell’, although our William Bell was a free settler, so it’s quite possible also.
The article is titled ‘MEMORIAL BY THE COLONISTS OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA AGAINST THE INTRODUCTION
OF CONVICTS”.
William Bell arrived in Port Adelaide on the 15 August 1840 as a free-settling colonist. While in Adelaide, William worked as a baker. Fanny was born to Thomas and Sarah Lockyer in Britford a small villiage in Southern England (near Salisbury). She married Joseph Fry in Aldebury in 1846. They had two children together, Letitia and John before travelling to Port Adelaide aboard the Thetis in 1851. In 1851 they had a 3rd child names Sarah, born in Adelaide.
After arriving in South Australia, we believe that Joseph has died in 1853. Below is the only documented record of this. He was working in Bendigo, and while feeling unwell was returning to Kapunda on 18th Sept 1852. We are unsure where he is buried, or the reason behind his missing 2 fingers on one hand. Credit to Marilyn Nicholson for the articles discovery.
In 1853 William married Fanny, William is listed as being a baker, and Fanny as a ‘widow’ at this time. Fanny signed her marriage registrations with an ‘X’ so it is possible that she was not literate. They lived in Adelaide and grew their family having children, Allen, William, (died in infancy), Richard, Mary, James, Albert, William and Ellen. They settled in ‘Wild Horse Plains’. Then the family later moved to Marrabel to farm. Allen (the first born to this marriage) married Elleanor Poysden of Hamilton SA and moved to Victoria.
Bell & Lockyer Children
Still being completed – please contact me via the blog page if you have anything to add here.
William Bell and Fanny Lockyer’s Children
Allan Bell (1854-1930) married Eleanor Poysden – See below in move to Victoria below
William Bell (1856-1857) died in infancy
Robert Bell (1858-1932) married Elizabeth Broad (1858-1941)
Mary Bell (1860-1900) did not marry
James Bell (1862-1928) married Bertha Louise Fiegert (1874 – 1937)
Albert Bell (1864-1915) married Mary Jane Prior (1865-1947) Purchased land at Tarnma, then in the early 1900s moved to Section 89, South of Marrabel. He had one son and two daughters, Leonard Vivian, married Elsie Draper. The daughters, Rosalie (married surname Schenscher) and Myrtle did not marry.
William Bell (1867-1938) married Laura Broad (1874-1959)
William Bell (1868) was also a baker. A ‘great baker’ as described by his decendants. William was also illiterate, so it was his wife Laura (Broad) who was in charge of all the bookwork and ordering for the bakery. Laura Broad was a sister of Elizabeth who married Robert Bell. The family moved around from Marribel, to Kapunda to Burma, Kadina, to Cowell and finally Adelaide. The baking tradition continued in this family, with sons Mayo and Gilbert also being bakers. After William (1868) died, Laura and Bertram (who did not marry) lived together. With such a great history of quality chefs in the family, it did mean that the not all of the wives perfected their own cooking techniques to the same level.
Ellen Bell (1870-1945) married Charles Boxall (1864-1944)
Documents
Fanny’s First Marriage; Joseph Fry and Fanny Lockyer Marriage Certificate
Move to Victoria
Allen and Eleanor Poysden had a family of 5 sons and 3 daughters. Eleanor Poysden was born in Wingham Kent England, to Richard Poysden and Mary Brooks. Eleanor possibly arrived in 1852 on the ‘steadfast’.
Allan Bell left South Australia and arrived in Victoria in 1890. He travelled with all his possessions in a wagon pulled by horses and settled at Tullyvea, near Jeparit about 6 miles away. He build a home on the edge of a big salt flat and cleared the land for cropping. He dug a dam with a pick, shovel and wheelbarrow hoping to create a water store to farm livestock to drink. However, the water went salty and was of no use after all of that effort.
3 of Allan’s sons went on to each marry a sister from the same family. That is to say, 3 Bell boys each married a different Flavel sister.
There is another occurence of Bell’s marrying sisters that occured with Allan’s brothers, Robert Bell married Elizabeth Broad, then some 18 years later another brother William Bell married the younger sister Laura Broad.
Bell decendents remain in towns between Adelaide and Melbourne and also in NSW. Allan’s family and decendents are mostly in the Wimmera, in areas surrounding Jeparit and Horsham.
As I am still actively researching William Bell and Fanny Bell and their decendents please visit the blog page if you are able to offer any further information.