Bell

Clan Crest: A hand holding a dagger, paleways, Proper

Clan Motto: I Beir the Bel

Historic Seat: Middlebie, Dumfires & Galloway

Clan Chief: None, armigerous clan

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Clan Bell History

The name bell may derive from the French 'Bel' or 'Belle,' and families with this name are almost entirely found in the Borders, particularly in Dumfriesshire. There have been several spellings recorded, including Bel, Bellis, Belle, Beal, and Bale.

Around the 11th century, the Bells settled in Middlebie Parish in Dumfriesshire, and by the 17th century, there were 31 families living there. They are thought to be descended from a Norman follower of David I, with one of the earliest references to Gilbert Le Fitzbel, who owned land in Dumfries.

The Bells, like many other families in the Borders at the time, turned to reiving for a living. Due to overcrowding in the region, the activities of the reiving families had become so troublesome by the 15th and 16th centuries that many received letters of warning from the Crown in 1517 to keep the peace. The Act of 1587 was presumably passed "for the quieting and keeping in obedience of the disorderit and subjectis inhabitants of the Borders, Highlands, and Isles." A list of clans "that hes Captaines and Chieftaines" follows, including the Bells. Many families moved to the Ulster Plantation in the early 17th century, and the surname Bell can still be found in Ireland.

After Archibald, Earl of Douglas, granted lands to William Bell at Kirkconnel in Annandale in 1424, the Bells became close allies of the Douglases. William built a fortified tower there, which still bears the Bell clan crest.

The clan's last Chief, William Bell, also known as Redcloak, died in 1628. His home was originally Blackethouse in Annandale, but it was destroyed in 1547 during an English raid, so William moved to another house near Kelso and kept the Blackethouse name. After nearly 400 years of dormancy, the Lord Lyon has recognized the clan and granted permission to find a new Chief.

Following the 17th century, the family continued to migrate to different parts of the world, including America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

There is a Bell Sept of the clan MacMillan that is distinct from the Border Bells. They used to live in Glen Shira, near the mouth of Loch Fyne.

One Bell was appointed Surgeon Extraordinary to the Sovereign, two were presidents of the Royal College of Surgeons, some became Sheriffs, and many were men and women of Letters.

General Sir John Bell, who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and was a friend of the Duke of Wellington, George Joseph Bell, who wrote "Principles of the Law of Scotland," Dr Joseph Bell, a well-known surgeon who inspired the fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes, and Alexander Graham Bell, who invented the first practical telephone.

Clan Bell Places & People

People of Clan Bell

Bell, Alexander Graham

Bell, who was born on March 3, 1847 in Edinburgh, is best known for inventing the telephone, but he was a remarkable character and brilliant inventor who also invented an air-cooling system, a method of desalinating sea water, and a sorting machine for punch-coded census cards. Alexander Melville Bell, his father, developed Visible Speech, a method of teaching deaf people to speak. Alexander continued this work and taught the young Helen Keller.

Many other inventors had been working on the idea of sending human speech over wire, but Bell improved on these developments to the conventional telegraph, the "harmonic telegraph" could send more than one message at a time over a single telegraph wire. Bell realized that by modifying this idea, he might be able to pick up all of the sounds of the human voice. In 1875, the first recognisable voice was transmitted, and on March 7, 1876, his telephone was patented.

Clan Bell Locations

The Bell Clan's Ancestral Home. The ruined tower of Blacket-House, also known as Blackwood House, is located in Middlebie parish, Dumfriesshire, and bears the date 1404 and the initials W[illiam] B[ell] above its outer doorway. Bell is said to have killed "fair Helen of Kirkconnel Lea" in this house.

There is evidence that a John Bell of Blackwoodhouse settled near Middlebie at the start of the 15th century. The Tower is thought to have been built in the late 16th century.

Clan Bell Tartans

Col Bell kept the Bell of the Borders tartan private for several years before allowing it to be made public. The color stands for

Black represents the border and our fallen soldiers.

Blue represents the sky above and the oceans we fled.

Green is the color of the border and the promise of nature's plan.

Red represents the blood we've shed, our bravery, and our clan.

The sunburst color is yellow.

Y/6 LB8 Y8 LB76 K8 LB8 K32 G8 R/12 Threadcount

The Borders Bell

Clan Bell Crest & Coats of Arms

Clan Bell Crest

Worn by everyone with the same name and ancestry

Description of the Crest:

A dagger in the hand, paleways, Proper

Coat of Arms of Clan Bell

A word about Coats of Arms:

A coat of arms is granted to an individual under Scottish heraldic law (with the exception of civic or corporate arms). A 'family coat of arms' does not exist. With the exceptions noted above, the arms depicted below are personal arms. Only the person who has been granted these weapons has the right to use them.