Sir Richard Bellings (sometimes spelt Bealings) (1622 – 30 October 1716) was an Irish courtier who served as the Knight secretary to Catherine of Braganza. He was one of a number of Irish Catholics given office in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

following the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

. In 1662 Charles II sent Sir Richard Bellings to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

to arrange the terms of England's conversion to

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

. On 1 June 1670 he was one of the signatories of the

Secret Treaty of Dover The Treaty of Dover, also known as the Secret Treaty of Dover, was a treaty between England and France signed at Dover on 1 June 1670. It required that Charles II of England would convert to the Roman Catholic Church at some future date and th ...

for England. Others who signed it were Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington, Sir Thomas Clifford,

Henry Arundell, 3rd Baron Arundell of Wardour Henry Arundell, 3rd Baron Arundell of Wardour, PC (bef. 23 February 1607/828 December 1694) was a Peer of England during the 17th century, and the most famous of the Lords Arundell of Wardour. He served as Lord Privy Seal and Lord High Stewar ...

and

Jean-Baptiste Colbert Jean-Baptiste Colbert (; 29 August 1619 – 6 September 1683) was a French statesman who served as First Minister of State from 1661 until his death in 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His lasting impact on the organization of the countr ...

for France. That secret treaty engaged Charles II to declare himself a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, for which

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...

was to pay him two millions of francs, and, in the event of anticipated disturbances in England, provide military support. It was the signing of this treaty which effectively created an alliance with England and France and against Holland, in March 1672. This was the second Dutch War of the reign of Charles the Second.

Family

Bellings's father

Richard Bellings Sir Richard Bellings (1613–1677) was a lawyer and political figure in 17th century Ireland and in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. He is best known for his participation in Confederate Ireland, a short-lived independent Irish state, in which he ...

(1603–1677) was a lawyer and political figure in 17th century

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, while his mother was Margaret Butler, a daughter of Richard Butler, 3rd Viscount Mountgaret. He married in 1671 Francis Arundell, a daughter of Sir John Arundell of Lanherne and a gentlewoman of Queen Catherine. Their son Richard took the surname Bellings-Arundell, in accordance with his Grandfather's

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

Children

* Richard Bellings-Arundell married Anne Gage, dau. of Joseph Gage of

Sherborne Castle Sherborne Castle is a 16th-century Tudor mansion southeast of Sherborne in Dorset, England, within the parish of Castleton. It stands in a park which formed a small part of the Digby estate. Old castle Sherborne Old Castle () is the ruin ...

* Helen, married Sir John Hales, 4th Baronet Bellings was buried at St Columb Major in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

. The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

displayed on his headstone is described as ''"A cross pattée fitchée (Bealing) on an escutcheon of pretence (Arundell); impaling Arundell.

Crest Crest or CREST may refer to: Buildings *The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York *"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York *Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...

: Over esquire's helmet, on a wreath a demi-lion rampant, holding between its paws a cross pattée fitchée."''

References

*''Letters Addressed from London to Sir Joseph Williamson While Plenipotentiary at the Congress of Cologne in the Years 1673 and 1674''. Volume: 1. edited by, Sir Joseph Williamson - (1874).

Bibliography

* Dennehy, Coleman. ''Restoration Ireland: Always Settling and Never Settled''. Ashgate Publishing, 2008

External links

Letters Addressed from London to Sir Joseph Williamson While Plenipotentiary at the Congress of Cologne in the Years 1673 and 1674
Vol. 1 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bellings, Richard 1622 births 1716 deaths English courtiers History of Catholicism in England Richard Bellings (courtier) Burials in Cornwall Household of Catherine of Braganza