William Bell (May 28, 1780 August 16, 1857) was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister, born in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

and an immigrant to

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...

. Bell and his family settled in Perth, Upper Canada, in 1817. He was a significant figure in promoting and expanding the Presbyterian faith among the settlers in his region. He assisted in starting congregations in Beckwith Township,

Lanark Lanark (; gd, Lannraig ; sco, Lanrik) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located 20 kilometres to the south-east of Hamilton. The town lies on the River Clyde, at its confluence with Mouse Water. In 2016, the town had a population of 9 ...

Smiths Falls Smiths Falls is a town in Eastern Ontario, Canada, southwest of Ottawa. As of the 2021 census it has a population of 9,254. It is in the Census division for Lanark County, but is separated from the county. The Rideau Canal waterway passes thr ...

and

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

. His carefully constructed diaries and other writings provide an important insight into the interactions between the United Synod of Upper Canada (aligned with the Scottish

United Secession Church The United Secession Church (or properly the United Associate Synod of the Secession Church) was a Scottish Presbyterian denomination. The First Secession from the established Church of Scotland had been in 1732, and the resultant "Associate Pre ...

) and the Synod of the Presbyterian Church of Canada (aligned with the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

). In 1835 Bell left the former and joined the latter. The former was absorbed by the latter by 1839. In 1844 a large group withdrew from the latter, and formed a

Free Church of Scotland Free Church of Scotland may refer to: * Free Church of Scotland (1843–1900), seceded in 1843 from the Church of Scotland. The majority merged in 1900 into the United Free Church of Scotland; historical * Free Church of Scotland (since 1900), rema ...

Canadian Synod. However, Bell remained within the Presbyterian Church of Canada in Connection with the Established Church of Scotland. His son William Bell was a businessman and militia officer who gained some notability in Canadian history. Another son, Robert Bell, was a notable politician in

Lanark County Lanark County is a county located in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its county seat is Perth, which was first settled in 1816.Brown, Howard Morton, 1984. Lanark Legacy, Nineteenth Century Glimpses of on Ontario County. Corporation of the Cou ...

References

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
Place of birth missing Place of death missing 1780 births 1857 deaths 18th-century Canadian non-fiction writers 18th-century Presbyterian ministers 18th-century Scottish writers 19th-century Canadian non-fiction writers 19th-century Presbyterian ministers 19th-century Scottish writers Canadian Presbyterian ministers Canadian diarists Canadian religious writers Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario People from Perth, Ontario Scottish diarists Scottish religious writers Immigrants to Upper Canada Canadian male non-fiction writers 18th-century Canadian male writers 19th-century Canadian male writers Ministers of Secession Churches in Scotland {{Canada-nonfiction-writer-stub

See also

References