James Spencer-Bell
Encyclopedia
James Spencer-Bell known until 1866 as James Bell, was a British Liberal Party
politician. He was a Member of Parliament
(MP) for Guildford
from 1852 until 1857.
On 29 January 1866, the couple received a Royal Licence to change their name to "Spencer-Bell", and to incorporate the Spencer coat of arms in theirs, according to the London Gazette
They had an addresses at 1, Devonshire Place, Marylebone
and at Fawe Park, Keswick, Cumberland, a house designed for Spencer-Bell by Waterhouse.
The RIBA Library catalogue lists a number of his writings, including contributions to the programme of lectures preparing students for the Voluntary Examinations.
In 1866, he debated the housing of the poor, under RIBA auspices.
at the general election of 1852
along with R. D. Mangles (both Liberals), who had held the Guildford seat since 1841. After the 1852 election, there was a petition
, alleging bribery and treating, which was found to be groundless and costs were awarded against the petitioner, in March 1853.
His maiden speech, on 8 March 1853, concerned objections to the proposed resiting of the National Gallery
to Kensington
.
In 1854, he spoke in the Commons on the building of the new Houses of Parliament and on the catalogue and collections policy of the British Museum
. He spoke three times during the consideration of the Medical Graduates (University of London) Bill.
In 1855, he asked the Attorney General a question concerning the rival claims of the Duchy of Cornwall
and the Commissioners of Woods and Forests to minerals below high-water mark. He spoke in the debate on the Victoria Government Bill, opposing its second reading. He questioned cost of the contemplated new offices in Downing-street and Fludyer-street. He spoke concerning a proposed government building in Kensington Gore. He spoke on the Burials Bill.
In 1856, he spoke on the funding of the British Museum, hoping for evening opening. His last, brief contribution concerned irregularities in the procurement of a machine for perforating postage labels
At the General Election of 1857
, Bell lost his seat to the Conservative Party
candidate William Bovill
. The Times suggested his vote on the China Question, against the Government appears to have given "general dissatisfaction among his constituents".
In 1870, he was a member of a delegation from the Society of Friends to Mr Gladstone
and Mr W.E.Forster
concerning Quaker views on the Elementary Education Bill
.
James Bell's older brother Jacob
was also a Liberal MP, sitting for St Albans
from 1850 to 1852.
Mary Ann Spencer-Bell, his widow, died 16 August 1891, aged 59.
. It is on the west bank of Derwent Water
, opposite the town of Keswick
. It is not open to the public (2010).
After James Spencer-Bell's death, the house was occupied by his son Frederick Spencer-Bell and following his early death, by his daughter Adelaide and her husband, Samuel Middleton Fox. After their deaths, it was occupied by their son, Commodore Frederick Middleton Fox. The current ownership has not yet been discovered.
, author and illustrator of children's books visited the house in July, 1903. The house was the setting one of the scenes in the 2006 film about her life, "Miss Potter".
, South West London was developed by James Spencer-Bell and auctioned in 1894. The road still exists and runs east-west from Putney Bridge Road (A3209) to Disraeli Road.
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician. He was a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Guildford
Guildford (UK Parliament constituency)
Guildford is a county constituency in Surrey which returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system....
from 1852 until 1857.
Parental family
He was a son of John Bell (1774–1849) and Eliza Smith (died 1839), his wife. They were a Quaker family. John Bell (1774–1849) married Eliza Smith, daughter of Frederick and Sarah Smith. Her father was a Chemist (Pharmacist) of the Haymarket, London, to whom John Bell had been apprenticed. John Bell and his older sons successfully continued his father-in-law's business, moving it to Oxford Street.Marriage and name-change
On 6 June 1858, James Bell married Mary Ann Spencer, at the Friends Meeting House, Cockermouth. He is described as a Gentleman, the son of John Bell, Chemist. She is described as daughter of Jeremiah Spencer of South Lodge, Cockermouth, Cumberland, yeoman.On 29 January 1866, the couple received a Royal Licence to change their name to "Spencer-Bell", and to incorporate the Spencer coat of arms in theirs, according to the London Gazette
They had an addresses at 1, Devonshire Place, Marylebone
Marylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
and at Fawe Park, Keswick, Cumberland, a house designed for Spencer-Bell by Waterhouse.
Architectural interests
James Bell trained as an architect but seems not to have practiced in that profession, after the age of 30. He served as Honorary Secretary to the RIBA and received an obituary notice on his death:I am unable to obtain particulars as to Mr. Bell's professional life. He was, fortunately for his own ease, in a position requiring little labour on his part, but he was attached to the profession he nominally followed and for some time showed his interest in it by acting as honorary secretary to the Institute. He was a pupil of Mr. Railton's but did not attempt to practise after the age of thirty. Mr Bell travelled much, and was indefatigable with his pencil. He represented the borough of Guildford for some time in Parliament. He took an active part in the committees of the House of Commons, and was a diligent worker in several societies of a benevolent and religious character. He was in declining health for some time prior to his death, which occurred in February last, at the age of 52.
The RIBA Library catalogue lists a number of his writings, including contributions to the programme of lectures preparing students for the Voluntary Examinations.
In 1866, he debated the housing of the poor, under RIBA auspices.
Political activity
James Bell, as he was then called, was elected as one of the two MPs for GuildfordGuildford (UK Parliament constituency)
Guildford is a county constituency in Surrey which returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system....
at the general election of 1852
United Kingdom general election, 1852
The July 1852 United Kingdom general election was a watershed election in the formation of the modern political parties of Britain. Following 1852, the Tory/Conservative party became, more completely, the party of the rural aristocracy, while the Whig/Liberal party became the party of the rising...
along with R. D. Mangles (both Liberals), who had held the Guildford seat since 1841. After the 1852 election, there was a petition
Election petition
An election petition refers to the procedure for challenging the result of a Parliamentary election or local government election in the United Kingdom and in Hong Kong.- Outcomes :...
, alleging bribery and treating, which was found to be groundless and costs were awarded against the petitioner, in March 1853.
His maiden speech, on 8 March 1853, concerned objections to the proposed resiting of the National Gallery
National gallery
The National Gallery is an art gallery on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom.National Gallery may also refer to:*Armenia: National Gallery of Armenia, Yerevan*Australia:**National Gallery of Australia, Canberra...
to Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
.
In 1854, he spoke in the Commons on the building of the new Houses of Parliament and on the catalogue and collections policy of the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
. He spoke three times during the consideration of the Medical Graduates (University of London) Bill.
In 1855, he asked the Attorney General a question concerning the rival claims of the Duchy of Cornwall
Duchy of Cornwall
The Duchy of Cornwall is one of two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Lancaster. The eldest son of the reigning British monarch inherits the duchy and title of Duke of Cornwall at the time of his birth, or of his parent's succession to the throne. If the monarch has no son, the...
and the Commissioners of Woods and Forests to minerals below high-water mark. He spoke in the debate on the Victoria Government Bill, opposing its second reading. He questioned cost of the contemplated new offices in Downing-street and Fludyer-street. He spoke concerning a proposed government building in Kensington Gore. He spoke on the Burials Bill.
In 1856, he spoke on the funding of the British Museum, hoping for evening opening. His last, brief contribution concerned irregularities in the procurement of a machine for perforating postage labels
At the General Election of 1857
United Kingdom general election, 1857
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
, Bell lost his seat to the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
candidate William Bovill
William Bovill
Sir William Bovill was an English lawyer, politician and judge. He served as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas between 1866 and his death in 1873.-Background:...
. The Times suggested his vote on the China Question, against the Government appears to have given "general dissatisfaction among his constituents".
In 1870, he was a member of a delegation from the Society of Friends to Mr Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
and Mr W.E.Forster
William Edward Forster
William Edward Forster PC, FRS was an English industrialist, philanthropist and Liberal Party statesman.-Early life:...
concerning Quaker views on the Elementary Education Bill
Elementary Education Act 1870
The Elementary Education Act 1870, commonly known as Forster's Education Act, set the framework for schooling of all children between ages 5 and 12 in England and Wales...
.
James Bell's older brother Jacob
Jacob Bell
Jacob Bell was a British pharmaceutical chemist who worked to reform the profession. He served as a Liberal Member of Parliament for St Albans from 1850 to 1852.- Career :...
was also a Liberal MP, sitting for St Albans
St Albans (UK Parliament constituency)
St Albans is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Established in 1885, it is a county constituency in Hertfordshire, and elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.From 1554 to 1852 there was a...
from 1850 to 1852.
Children
- Adelaide Eliza Spencer-Bell (13 September 1859 - 16 June 1922) married Samuel Middleton FoxSamuel Middleton FoxSamuel Middleton Fox was an amateur writer and dramatist, who also charmingly documented the life of the wealthy, Quaker Fox family of Falmouth during the latter years of the 19th century.-Birth and parental families:...
. - James Frederick Spencer-Bell, born 1863 at Alton in Hampshire, died 1886.
- Helen Johanna Spencer-Bell, born 1865 in Marylebone, Middlesex.
- Juliet Spencer-Bell, born 9 July 1866, in London In 1892, married Colonel Edmond Herbert Grove-HillsEdmond Herbert Grove-HillsEdmond Herbert Grove-Hills was a British soldier and astronomer.He was born the son of Herbert Augustus and Anna Hills in High Head Castle, Cumberland and educated at Winchester College until 1882, after which he entered the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich...
, FRS - Hubert John Spencer-Bell born 20 February 1869, in Marylebone, Middlesex, died 1888, aged 19
Death
James Spencer-Bell died in on 22 February 1872, aged 53.Mary Ann Spencer-Bell, his widow, died 16 August 1891, aged 59.
Fawe Park
Fawe Park is a large Victorian house that was built in 1858 for James Bell (after 1866, called James Spencer-Bell). It was designed by Alfred WaterhouseAlfred Waterhouse
Alfred Waterhouse was a British architect, particularly associated with the Victorian Gothic Revival architecture. He is perhaps best known for his design for the Natural History Museum in London, and Manchester Town Hall, although he also built a wide variety of other buildings throughout the...
. It is on the west bank of Derwent Water
Derwent Water
Derwentwater is one of the principal bodies of water in the Lake District National Park in north west England. It lies wholly within the Borough of Allerdale, in the county of Cumbria....
, opposite the town of Keswick
Keswick
-Geography:A place in Australia:*Keswick, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide**Keswick railway station, Adelaide**Adelaide Parklands Terminal A place in Canada:*Keswick, Ontario...
. It is not open to the public (2010).
After James Spencer-Bell's death, the house was occupied by his son Frederick Spencer-Bell and following his early death, by his daughter Adelaide and her husband, Samuel Middleton Fox. After their deaths, it was occupied by their son, Commodore Frederick Middleton Fox. The current ownership has not yet been discovered.
Beatrix Potter
Beatrix PotterBeatrix Potter
Helen Beatrix Potter was an English author, illustrator, natural scientist and conservationist best known for her imaginative children’s books featuring animals such as those in The Tale of Peter Rabbit which celebrated the British landscape and country life.Born into a privileged Unitarian...
, author and illustrator of children's books visited the house in July, 1903. The house was the setting one of the scenes in the 2006 film about her life, "Miss Potter".
Fawe Park Road, Putney
Fawe Park Road in PutneyPutney
Putney is a district in south-west London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, South West London was developed by James Spencer-Bell and auctioned in 1894. The road still exists and runs east-west from Putney Bridge Road (A3209) to Disraeli Road.