Thomas Bell (Mayor of Gloucester) - Heraldry

Heraldry

The Arms of Bell: Argent, on a chevron between three Hawks' bells gules 2 bars gemelles argent, on a chief gules a hawk's lure argent stringed or between two martlets argent. The Crest is: An Arm embowed vested gules cuffed or supporting in the hand proper a battleaxe the shaft gules head argent. These arms, blazoned above from the entry in the 1623 Visitation of Gloucestershire, are depicted in the portrait of Bell the Elder in the possession of Gloucester City Council, although the martlets (house-marten birds) appear more substantial than that bird's usual heraldic slim silhouette, possibly denoting hawks. Sydney Grazebrook in his 1873 Heraldry of Worcestershire(pp. 43–44) states that this grant, with martlets, was made to "Thomas Bell of Gloucester, gentleman" in 1542, and that it resembled the arms of Bell of Bromsgrove, Worcs., which had escallops in place of hawks' bells and hawks in place of martlets. Bell was knighted in 1547, that is five years after this grant of arms.