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Thomas Page BELL (1791–1865)
His first wife Mrs Mary Ann BELL, née Pulbrook (1793–1855)
Their daughters Miss Sarah BELL (1820–1892) and
Miss Louisa BELL (c.1831–1892)
St Paul section: Row 12, Grave A13 [St Paul ref. K9]

 

Thomas Page Bell was born in Eastcheap, London on 20 May 1791 and baptised at Ss Martin Orgar and St Clement Church on 12 June. He was the son of George Bell and his wife Sarah, and became a printer. He probably moved to Oxford while still single.

Mary Ann Pulbrook was born in Oxford in 1793 and baptised at St Cross Church, Holywell Church on 14 August. She was the daughter of Thomas Pulbrook and his wife Mary. (Are these the Thomas Pulbrook and Mary Harper, both lodgers, who were married at Binsey Church on 27 July 1789?) Mary Ann's brother Charles was baptised at St Cross Church in 1795.

On 10 September 1817 at St Mary's Church, Newington, Thomas Page Bell married his first wife Mary Ann Pulbrook. They settled in Oxford, initially in St Michael's parish, and had the following children:

• Sarah Bell (born in Oxford in 1820 and baptised at St Michael's Church on 15 March)
• Thomas Bell (born in Oxford in 1821 and baptised at St Michael's Church on 29 June)
• Mary Ann Bell (born in Oxford in 1824 and baptised at St Michael's Church on 5 March)
• Elizabeth Bell (born in Oxford on 11 August 1826 and baptised at St Michael's Church on 3 September);
  appears to have died, and is probably the Elizabeth Bell who died at Broad Street at the age of ten months in 1827 and who was buried in St Mary Magdalen churchyard on 13 June
• Louisa Bell (born in Oxford in c.1831).

Thomas Page Bell and Mary Ann began their married life in St Michael's parish in Oxford.

By the time of the 1841 census Thomas (49), described as a printer, was living at Clarendon Place in the new district chapelry of St Paul with his wife Mary Ann (47) and their four surviving children Sarah (22); Thomas (20), who was a printer; Mary Ann (16); and Louisa (10). Also living with them was Mary Ann's 77-year-old widowed mother, Mary Pulbrook.

In 1851 census their address was given more specifically as 10 Clarendon Place and Thomas (58), described as a printer & overseer, was living there with his wife Mary Ann (56) and three of their children: Sarah (30), who was a schoolmistress; Thomas (28), who was a printer; and Louisa (19).

Their other daughter Mary Ann Bell (26) was paying a visit on the census night of 1851 to John and Margaret Cowderoy at 3 Crescent Place, Brighton on census night, and in 1853 she married their son:

• On 27 September 1853 at St Paul's Church, Oxford, Mary Ann Bell of Clarendon Place married George Cowderoy, a grocer of Millwall, London (the son of the grocer John Cowderoy and his wife Margaret).

Thomas Page Bell's first wife Mary Ann died in 1855:

† Mrs Mary Ann Bell née Pulbrook died at Great Clarendon Street at the age of 61 on 11 September 1855 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 13 September (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul's Church).

On 11 April 1857 at St Nicholas's Church, Brighton, Thomas Page Bell (63) married his second wife Mrs Margaret Cowderoy (62), who was doubtless a relation of his son-in-law George Cowderoy.

At the time of the 1861 census Thomas (69) was still working as a printer and living at 45 Walton Street in St Paul's parish with his second wife Margaret (66) and his unmarried daughters Sarah (41) and Louisa (29), who ran a school at home.

His son Thomas (38), who was still unmarried in 1861, continued to work as a printer compositor and was boarding at 5 St Bernard's Road (then called St John's Road) in 1861 with a retired victualler. Early in 1865 he married a gentlewoman 18 years his senior:

• On 16 February 1865 at Ss Philip & James's Church, Thomas Bell (44), described as a gentleman of St Bernard's Road, married Eliza Burton of Norham Manor, the daughter of the Revd Arthur Burton.

Thomas Page Bell died in May 1865, three months after his son's wedding:

† Thomas Page Bell died at Walton Street at the age of 74 on 24 May 1865 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 29 May (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul's Church).

His effects came to under £450, and he was described as a gentleman in his probate record. His executor was George Cowderoy, a Post Office clerk of Walton Street.

His son Thomas Bell died less than three years after his father on 18 March 1868: for more details about him, see the grave of his wife Mrs Eliza Bell.

Thomas Page Bell's second wife Mrs Margaret Bell formerly Cowderoy died in London in 1880, and the following announcement appeared in Jackson's Oxford Journal: “Aug. 12, at Clapham, S.W., aged 86, Margaret, widow of the late Thomas Page Bell, of this city.”

At the time of the 1881 census his unmarried daughters Sarah Bell (59) and Louisa Bell (48) were living at 139 Walton Street and were respectively a schoolmistress and assistant schoolmistress. Their brother Thomas's widow Mrs Eliza Bell (79) had also come to live with them. Eliza died at that address in 1885.

By 1891 they had moved to 47 Walton Street. Sarah (70) had retired and was living on her own means, but Sarah (58) was still a schoolmistress. They had a boarder, and a 14-year-old servant girl.

The two sisters died very close together in early 1892 and were buried on the same day:

† Miss Louisa Bell died at 47 Walton Street at the age of 60 on 18 January 1892 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 25 January (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul's Church).

Her sister died four days later

† Miss Sarah Bell died at 47 Walton Street at the age of 72 on 22 January 1892 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 25 January (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul's Church).

For more on Mrs Mary Ann Cowderoy née Bell (the other surviving child of Thomas Page Bell and his first wife Mary Ann), see her separate grave