Mathew Bell (1769 – June 24, 1849) was a

seigneur A seigneur () or lord is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. The seigneur owned a seigneurie, seigneury, or lordship—a form of ...

, businessman and political figure in

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada () was a British colonization of the Americas, British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence established in 1791 and abolished in 1841. It covered the southern portion o ...

. His first name is also sometimes recorded as Matthew. He was born at

Berwick-upon-Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, the son of James Bell, a merchant of 'gentry stock' who served two terms as the town's

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

.A place by itself: Berwick-upon-Tweed in the eighteenth century. By David Brenchley, 1997 Bell came to

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

around 1784 and worked as a clerk for merchant John Lees. In 1790, he started an importing business in partnership with David Monro; they owned a store at Quebec and their own ships. When John Lees retired from business in 1791, they became agents for

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...

and George Davison, who were suppliers to the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

troops in North America. Bell and Monro also managed the king's posts on the north shore of the lower

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...

and, in 1793, held a share in the lease of the Saint-Maurice ironworks. In 1799, after the death of George Davison, they became sole holders of the lease of the ironworks. In 1799, Bell was named a justice of the peace. He was elected to the

Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada The Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada was the lower house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The legislative assembly was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791. The lower house consisted of e ...

for Saint-Maurice in 1800. He was elected for Trois-Rivières in 1809 and again in 1810, generally supporting the English party. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, he served as a captain in the local militia and formed a volunteer cavalry unit at Quebec. Bell served as master of

Trinity House The Corporation of Trinity House of Deptford Strond, also known as Trinity House (and formally as The Master, Wardens and Assistants of the Guild Fraternity or Brotherhood of the most glorious and undivided Trinity and of St Clement in the ...

of Quebec from 1814 to 1816. His partner David Monro retired in 1815 and he took on John Stewart as a partner in the firm. In 1817, with Monro, Bell bought the seigneury of Champlain; he acquired the seigneuries of Hertel and Mont-Louis on his own. Bell also acquired large amounts of property in the townships. In 1823, he was named to the

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

and served until the suspension of the constitution following the

Lower Canada Rebellion The Lower Canada Rebellion (), commonly referred to as the Patriots' Rebellion () in French, is the name given to the armed conflict in 1837–38 between rebels and the colonial government of Lower Canada (now southern Quebec). Together wit ...

. In 1829, he moved his home to

Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières (, ; ) is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River, Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence River, Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Sain ...

to be closer to the ironworks. During the rebellion, he organized the defence against the Patriotes in the region. Bell was invited to serve on the Special Council that governed the province after the rebellion but did not accept the offer. In 1846, the government sold the Saint-Maurice ironworks; Bell lost to Henry Stuart in the bidding. He retired to Trois-Rivières, where he died in 1849. He married Anne Mackenzie (1781–1837), daughter of James Mackenzie, merchant of Montreal. Their daughter Catherine married Edward Greive, who represented Trois-Rivières in the legislative assembly of the Province of Canada. His daughter Margaret married William Walker, who served on the legislative council. His daughter Ann, married merchant John George Irvine and was the mother of George Irvine, who was a lawyer, judge and served in both the federal and provincial legislatures.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Mathew 1769 births 1849 deaths English emigrants to pre-Confederation Quebec Members of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada Members of the Legislative Council of Lower Canada 18th-century Canadian businesspeople Immigrants to the Province of Quebec (1763–1791) Canadian justices of the peace