Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 3.djvu/20

 NOTES AND QUERIES. [io* s. in. JAN. 7, IMS.

"CuRSALS " (10 th S. ii. 509). The "farm of cursals " probably belonged to one of tbe "Cursal Prebends" of St. Davids. Why these were so called has not been quite satis- factorily explained. See 'X.E.D.'

J. T. F.

Winterton.

PATRICK BELL, LAIKD OF ANTERMONY (10 th S. ii. 487). The estate of Antermony, or more properly Auchtermony, originally belonged to the Flemings, Earls of Wigtown, and was probably acquired by Alexander Bell, the father of Patrick, before the middle of the seventeenth century. Alexander was suc- ceeded by his eldest son James. Patrick Bell, the second son, studied and held a bursary in theology in the University of Glasgow, 1G78-83. He became minister of the parish of Port of Menteith, May, 1683; succeeded his brother in the paternal estate 1685 ; and was deprived of his benefice by the Privy Council in 1689, for not reading the Proclamation of the Estates, 'not praying for their Majesties William and Mary, and not observing the thanksgiving. As his successor in the parish was not appointed till 1697, it is probable that some understanding was arrived at whereby Bell continued his ministrations till that date. When he left he carried off a quantity of the session records with him, and refused to give them up until legal proceed- ings were taken against him in 1706. He married Annabella, daughter of John Stirling, of Craigbarnard, and died 4 July, 1722, having had issue at least two sons : Alexander, who died vitd patris, a,nd John, who succeeded to Auchtermony. He was a merchant in Constantinople and a distinguished traveller, and was sent by the Emperor of Russia on an embassy to Persia, 1715-18, and to China, 1717-22 He published 'Travels in Diverse Parts of Asia,' 2 vols. 4to, Glasgow, 1762-3, and died 1780. J. B. P.

The Rev. Patrick Bell, minister of Port of Menteith, born in or about 1660, studied and held a bursary of theology at Glasgow Univer- sity from 1678 to 1683. He was presented by Higgins of Craigforth to the living of Port, to which he was admitted on 15 May, 1683. He was deprived of his benefice by the Privy Council on 3 October, 1689, for not reading the Proclamation of the Estates, not praying for their Majesties William and Mary, and not observing the thanksgiving. On 2 December, 1685, he was served heir to his brother James, who died without issue, in the barony of Antermony (not Auterraony), in the parish of Campsie, Stirlingshire. They were sons of Alexander Bell, a writer in Edinburgh,

who had probably bought the property. This Alexander married, before 1657, a name- sake, probably a relative, Grizel Bell, daughter of James Bell, Provost of Glasgow, whose wife was Isobel, sister of Campbell of Blyths- wood. Grizel was one of Provost Bell's three daughters and heirs-portioners. The Provost had a son Patrick, a merchant in Glasgow, who predeceased his sisters. He had married Margaret, daughter of James Hamilton, of Dalziel. The Rev. Patrick married Annabella, daughter of John Stirling, of CraigbarneL They had a son John and a daughter Grizel. John was born in 1691, and passed as a phy- sician in 1713, and went into the Russian service, and accompanied embassies from that country to Persia and China. He was a keen Asiatic traveller, and was for some years in Constantinople. He wrote ' Travels from St. Petersburg to Various Parts of Asia.' In 1746 he married Mary Peters, and settled at Antermony, where he died, without issue, aged eighty- nine. The half-sister of Mary Peters was Jane, daughter of Benjamin Vigor,, of Fulham, who married the last Earl of Hyndford in the Scottish peerage, and died in 1802, aged eighty-six. Dr. Bell sold Anter- mony to Capt. John Lennox, reserving, how- ever, his life-rent. His sister Grizel married a Mr. Brown and had two daughters, who were both dead by 1766, and are interred in the churchyard of Glasgow Cathedral. See further Scott's 'Fasti,' ' The Retours,' ' Scots Lore,' and others there cited.

J. L ANDERSON. Edinburgh.

Patrick Bell was educated at Glasgow University (1678-83), and was married (not born, as stated) in 1685. He was the last of the Episcopalian clergymen, and was deprived of his living (Port of Menteith) by order of the Privy Council, 3 October, 1689, for not reading the Proclamation of the Estates, and for refusing to pray for their Majesties King William and Queen Mary. Shortly after 1689 he was served heir, in succession to his elder brother, of the estate of Antermony, of which his father, Alexander Bell, was former proprietor. From what stock Alexander Bell first of Antermony came would be interesting to hear ; also the name of his wife, who, it is surmised, was related to or connected by marriage with the Grahams of Gartur.

HENRY PATON.

[Information as to Alexander Bell's wife is sup- plied above by MR. ANDERSON.]

MRS. CAREY (10 th S. ii. 449). It is singular that two correspondents of ' N. & Q ,' at an