John Joy Bell (7 June 1871 – 14 November 1934), known professionally as J.J. Bell, was a Scottish journalist and author.

Life

JJBellGravestoneStMacharsCathedralDundee

Born at 4 Bothwell Terrace in

Hillhead Hillhead ( sco, Hullheid, gd, Ceann a' Chnuic) is an area of Glasgow, Scotland. Situated north of Kelvingrove Park and to the south of the River Kelvin, Hillhead is at the heart of Glasgow's fashionable West End, with Byres Road forming th ...

, Glasgow he was the eldest son of James Taylor Bell, a tobacco manufacturer. Bell was schooled at

Kelvinside Academy Kelvinside Academy is an independent day school in Glasgow, Scotland, founded in 1878. It has a capacity of over 600 pupils and spans two years of Nursery, six years of Junior School (primary school), a transition year of Senior Preparatory, and ...

and

Morrison's Academy Morrison's Academy is a co-educational independent day school in Crieff, Perth and Kinross, in Central Scotland. The school provides nursery, primary and secondary school facilities. It draws many pupils from surrounding Perth and Kinross ...

Crieff Crieff (; gd, Craoibh, meaning "tree") is a Scottish market town in Perth and Kinross on the A85 road between Perth and Crianlarich, and the A822 between Greenloaning and Aberfeldy. The A822 joins the A823 to Dunfermline. Crieff has becom ...

. He attended the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

, where he studied chemistry. After becoming a journalist, Bell worked for the ''

Glasgow Evening Times The ''Glasgow Times'' is an evening tabloid newspaper published Monday to Saturday in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Called ''The Evening Times'' from 1876, it was rebranded as the ''Glasgow Times'' on 4 December 2019.Scots Pictorial''. His articles described the life of working-class Glaswegians, and were often written in the vernacular. He created the character of 'MacGreegor' for his ''Evening Times'' articles, and the stories were so popular that they were published in book form, and later made into a film. Bell has often been criticised for being overly sentimental, but it is also said that his vernacular was accurately representative, which is partly what made them popular. During recent years though, Bell's books are increasingly neglected. He is buried in the churchyard of St Machar's Cathedral in

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

. The grave lies close to the north-east corner of the church.

Family

He was married to Helen Robertson Geddes (1876-1949).

Publications

* ''The New Noah's Ark'' (1898). * ''Jack of All Trades'' (1899). * ''Songs of the Hour'' (1900). * ''Wee Macgreegor'' (1902). * ''Ethel'' (1903). * ''Mistress McLeerie'' (1903). * ''Wee Macgreegor Again'' (1904). * ''Later Adventures of Wee Macgreegor'' (1904). * ''Jess & Co.'' (1904). * ''Mr. Pennycook's Boy'' (1905). * ''Mr. Lion of London'' (1905). * ''Clyde Songs and other verses'' (1906). * ''Thou Fool!'' (1907). * ''Joseph Redhorn'' (1908). * ''Whither Thou Goest'' (1908). * ''Oh! Christina!'' (1909). * ''Dancing Days'' (1910). * ''Wullie McWattie's Master'' (1910). * ''The Indiscretions of Maister Redhorn'' (1911). * ''Jim'' (1911). * ''A Kingdom of Dreams'' (1911). * ''The Best Man'' (1911). * ''Courtin' Christina'' (1913). * ''Bobby'' (1914). * ''The Whalers'' (1914). * ''The Misadventures of Joseph'' (1914). * ''Wee Macgreegor Enlists'' (1915). * ''Little Grey Ships'' (1916). * ''Cupid in Oilskins'' (1916). * ''Kiddies'' (1916). * ''Till The Clock Stops'' (1916). * ''Story of Kitty Carstairs'' (1917). * ''Secret Cards'' (1917). * ''All Ages'' (1918). * ''Johnny Pride'' (1918). * ''Atlantic Gold'' (1918). * ''Just Jemima'' (1919). * ''The Middle Strip'' (1919). * ''Jimmy Johnny'' (1920). * ''The Pie in the Oven (in 1 act)'' (1922). * ''Wee Macgreegor's Party (in 1 act)'' (1922). * ''Thread o' Scarlet (in 1 act)'' (1923). * ''Those Class Distinctions (in 1 act)'' (1923). * ''Wolves (in 1 act)'' (1923). * ''Some Plain, Some Coloured'' (1923). * ''The Nickums'' (1923). * ''Mr. Craw'' (1924). * ''Courtin' Christina (in 1 act)'' (1924). * ''The Laird's Lucky Number (in 1 act)'' (1924). * ''The Invisible Net'' (1924). * ''The Braw Bailie'' (1925). * ''Mr. and Mrs. Craw'' (1926). * ''Exit Mrs. McLeerie (in 1 act)'' (1927). * ''Betty'' (1927). * ''Hoots!'' (1929). * ''The Whale-Hunters'' (1929). * ''Meet Mr. Craw'' (1929). * ''Gambler's Hope'' (1929). * ''Breaking Point (in 1 act)'' (1930). * ''Good-morning Sir John (in 1 act)'' (1930). * ''Laird of Glenlaggan'' (1931). * ''The Glory of Scotland'' (1932). * ''The Women'' (1932). * ''I Remember'' (1932). * ''Scotland's Rainbow West'' (1933). * ''Hamish'' (1934). * ''Scotland in Ten Days'' (1934). * ''Melodies and Memories'' (1934). * ''Do you remember?'' * ''On the Quay'' (poem) * ''Beyond London Lights''

Notes

Sources

reference.allrefer.com

theglasgowstory.com

*

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, John Joy 1871 births 1934 deaths People educated at Kelvinside Academy People educated at Morrison's Academy Scottish journalists People from Hillhead Alumni of the University of Glasgow Scottish novelists Scottish poets Burials at St Machar's Cathedral Kailyard school