Sir Thomas Hugh Bell, 2nd Baronet, (10 February 1844 – 29 June 1931) was an English industrialist, landowner,

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

, and administrator. A Deputy Lieutenant of

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

, he was

High Sheriff of Durham This is a list of the High Sheriffs of County Durham, England. In most counties the High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. In the Palatinate of Durham the officeholder was appointed by and was accountable to the Bishop of D ...

in 1895 and

Lord Lieutenant of the North Riding of Yorkshire The post of Lord Lieutenant of the North Riding of Yorkshire was created in 1660, at the Restoration, and was abolished on 31 March 1974. From 1782 until 1974, all Lords Lieutenant were also Custos Rotulorum of the North Riding of Yorkshire. Lord ...

from 1906 to 1931.''

Burkes Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher founded in 1826, when the Irish genealogist John Burke began releasing books devoted to the ancestry and heraldry of the peerage, baronetage, knightage and landed gentry of Great ...

'' volume 1 (2003), page 331 He joined his family firm,

Bell Brothers Losh, Wilson and Bell, later Bells, Goodman, then Bells, Lightfoot and finally Bell Brothers, was a leading Northeast England manufacturing company, founded in 1809 by the partners William Losh, Thomas Wilson, and Thomas Bell. The firm was ...

, and became director of its steelworks at

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

Early life

The son of

Isaac Lowthian Bell Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell, 1st Baronet, FRS (18 February 1816 – 20 December 1904) was a Victorian ironmaster and Liberal Party politician from Washington, County Durham, in the north of England. He was described as being "as famous in his day ...

, when he was eighteen the young Bell was required by his father to work at the family's

Ironworks at Walker,

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, but he was later educated at Edinburgh, the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

in Paris, and in Germany.

Career

After joining the family firm, Bell Brothers, Bell was made the director of the family's large factory, the steelworks at

. He also served as mayor of Middlesbrough three times – in 1874, 1883 and 1911. He was, like his father, a director of the North Eastern Railway, and had a private platform on the line between Middlesbrough and Redcar, at the bottom of the garden of his house, Red Barns. He was treated as royalty by the railway. His daughter, Lady Richmond, recalled saying goodbye to her father at King's Cross. He stayed with her on the platform to chat until the train left. When the train did not leave on time, they went on talking, until at last a guard came up to them and said "If you would like to finish your conversation, Sir Hugh, we will then be ready to depart." In 1885, Bell's father was created a

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, a title he inherited in 1904. He was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

(CB) in the

1918 Birthday Honours The 1918 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, 3 June a ...

. He was no ordinary capitalist and mill owner, but made sure his workers were well paid and cared for.

Architectural commissions

Former Bell Brothers and Dorman Long office building designed by Phillip Speakman Webb

His friendship with the architect

Philip Webb Philip Speakman Webb (12 January 1831 – 17 April 1915) was a British architect and designer sometimes called the Father of Arts and Crafts Architecture. His use of vernacular architecture demonstrated his commitment to "the art of common ...

led to three commissions in the Middlesbrough area – of Rounton Grange, built for his father in the 1870s and demolished in 1953, Red Barns House and the

Dorman Long Dorman Long & Co was a UK steel producer, later diversifying into bridge building. It was once listed on the London Stock Exchange. History The company was founded by Arthur Dorman and Albert de Lande Long when they acquired ''West Marsh ...

office building, originally that of Bell Brothers, in Middlesbrough, which was Webb's only commercial development.

Family

He was the son of the wealthy pioneering ironmaster

Lowthian Bell Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell, 1st Baronet, FRS (18 February 1816 – 20 December 1904) was a Victorian ironmaster and Liberal Party politician from Washington, County Durham, in the north of England. He was described as being "as famous in his day ...

and his wife, Margaret Pattinson. He married Maria Shield on 23 April 1867 and they had two children: *

Gertrude Bell Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell, CBE (14 July 1868 – 12 July 1926) was an English writer, traveller, political officer, administrator, and archaeologist. She spent much of her life exploring and mapping the Middle East, and became highly ...

(1868–1926), the author, traveller, and political officer * Sir Maurice Bell, 3rd Baronet (1871–1944) Upon the death of his first wife on 19 April 1871, he married, secondly, Florence Olliffe (later Dame Florence Bell, DBE), a daughter of Sir Joseph Olliffe. With Florence he had three children: * Hugh Lowthian Bell (1878–1926) * Florence Elsa Bell (1880–1971), who married Admiral Sir

Herbert Richmond Admiral Sir Herbert William Richmond, (15 September 1871 – 15 December 1946) was a prominent Royal Navy officer, described as "perhaps the most brilliant naval officer of his generation." He was also a top naval historian, known as the "Briti ...

* Mary Katherine Bell, OBE (1881-1966), who married Charles Trevelyan

References

External links

Museums in Redcar & Cleveland: Sir Thomas Hugh Bell
redcar-cleveland.gov.uk; accessed 14 April 2016.

therountons.com; accessed 14 April 2016.
Profile
middlesbrough-live.runtime-collective.com; accessed 14 April 2016. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Sir Hugh Bell, 2nd Baronet 1844 births 1931 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Companions of the Order of the Bath Deputy Lieutenants of Durham English justices of the peace Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Lord-Lieutenants of the North Riding of Yorkshire Mayors of Middlesbrough High Sheriffs of Durham North Eastern Railway (UK) people Liberal Unionist Party parliamentary candidates