Beaupré Bell Esq. (1704–1741) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

antiquary An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...

, of

Beaupré Hall Beaupré Hall was a large 16th-century house mainly of brick, which was built by the Beaupres in Outwell, Norfolk, England and enlarged by their successors the Bells. Like many of Britain's country houses it was demolished in the mid-20th cent ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

. Beaupré Bell was the first son of Beaupré Bell Esq., and Margaret, the daughter of Sir Anthony Oldfield, and was a fifth generation descendant of

Sir Robert Bell Sir Robert Bell Serjeant-at-law, SL (died 1577) of Beaupré Hall, Norfolk, was a Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom), Speaker of the House of Commons (1572–1576), who served during the reign of Elizabeth I of England, Queen Eliza ...

and his wife Dorthie, of the old family of Beaupré or De Bello Prato. His father Beaupré Bell was eccentric and "hardly allowed his son the common necessaries of life", but owned an estate worth £1500 per annum and also was reported to have had over 500 horses, all unbroken and allowed to roam wild. He possessed a good library, though neglected with the rest of the mansion. Beaupré Bell attended Westminster College and moved on to

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

, where he finished his education. He had an eye for all things ancient, with a particular interest in

Roman coins Roman currency for most of Roman history consisted of gold, silver, bronze, orichalcum and copper coinage. From its introduction to the Republic, during the third century BC, well into Imperial times, Roman currency saw many changes in form, denomi ...

. Bell authored several works on this subject, one on the coins minted by Roman Emperors. He became Vice-President of the

Spalding Gentlemen's Society The Spalding Gentlemen's Society is a learned society based in Spalding, Lincolnshire, England, concerned with cultural, scientific and antiquarian subjects. It is Britain's oldest such provincial body, founded in 1710 by Maurice Johnson (1688 ...

in 1726, and gave assistance to

Francis Blomefield Rev. Francis Blomefield (23 July 170516 January 1752), FSA, Rector of Fersfield in Norfolk, was an English antiquarian who wrote a county history of Norfolk: ''An Essay Towards a Topographical History of the County of Norfolk''. It includes ...

. Beaupré Bell died from

consumption Consumption may refer to: *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically * Consumption (ecology), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of newly produced goods for curren ...

on his way to Bath.The original ''Dictionary of National Biography'' article cited August 1745 for Bell's death, whereas modern references cite 1741. While the circumstance of the death is the same, the reason for difference in dates is not mentioned. By his will he bequeathed his collection of coins and medals to Trinity College, Cambridge, together with 12 volumes of manuscripts that were catalogued, together with the medieval manuscripts, by

Montague Rhodes James Montague Rhodes James (1 August 1862 – 12 June 1936) was an English author, medievalist scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–1918), and of Eton College (1918–1936). He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambrid ...

References

*P. Courtney
‘Bell, Beaupré (1704–1741)’
rev. David Boyd Haycock, ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'', Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 15 Feb 2007 *Manning, J. A., ''Speakers'', pb. Myers and Company, London p. 242, 245.

References

Further reading