Doyne Courtenay Bell (3 August 1830 ― 26 March 1888) was an English court servant,

antiquary An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic sit ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

Early life

Bell was born in Gower Street,

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London, part of the London Borough of Camden in England. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural institution, cultural, intellectual, and educational ...

, the son of a wine merchant. After

University College School University College School, also known as UCS, is a private day school in Frognal, Hampstead, London, England. The school was founded in 1830 by University College London and inherited many of that institution's progressive and secular views. ...

and

King's College, London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

, he went to live in the

Duchy of Brunswick The Duchy of Brunswick () was a historical German state that ceased to exist in 1918. Its capital city, capital was the city of Braunschweig, Brunswick (). It was established as the successor state of the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel ...

to learn

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, which he mastered. On his return to England, a

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

man uncle, George Hamilton, recommended him to Sir William Reid, who took him on as an assistant in the preparations for the

Great Exhibition The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held), was an international exhibition that took ...

of 1851.

Work

While the Exhibition was ongoing,

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Alb ...

, impressed by Bell's abilities, hired him to work in the royal household to help with

Privy Purse The Privy Purse is the British sovereign's private income, mostly from the Duchy of Lancaster. This amounted to £20.1 million in net income for the year to 31 March 2018. Overview The Duchy is a landed estate of approximately 46,000 acres (20 ...

correspondence.Sir George Scharf, "Mr. Doyne C. Bell" (obituary) in '' The Athenaeum'', No. 3154, 7 April 1888
p. 436
/ref> Bell struck up a friendship with

George Scharf Sir George Scharf KCB (16 December 1820 – 19 April 1895) was a British art critic, illustrator, and director of the National Portrait Gallery. Biography Early years Scharf was born at 3 St Martin's Lane, London, the son of George Joha ...

, director of the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

, a fellow Old Gower, and built up a good knowledge of historic portraits, not least those in the

Royal Collection The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic List of British royal residences, royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King ...

. Bell was also Secretary of the committee which after Prince Albert's death in 1861 planned the

Albert Memorial The Albert Memorial is a Gothic Revival Ciborium (architecture), ciborium in Kensington Gardens, London, designed and dedicated to the memory of Albert, Prince Consort, Prince Albert of Great Britain. Located directly north of the Royal Albert Ha ...

in Hyde Park, finally completed in 1872. Bell was a musical composer. Between 1868 and 1876, he published at least twenty settings for songs, works of the 17th century and of

Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication '' Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's ...

Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include the poems "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to complet ...

Blake Blake or Blake's may refer to: People * Blake (given name), a given name of English origin (includes a list of people with the name) * Blake (surname), a surname of English origin (includes a list of people with the name) ** William Blake (1757 ...

, and others. Dating from 1876, his setting to music of Blake's "Can I see another's woe", from ''

Songs of Innocence and of Experience ''Songs of Innocence and of Experience'' is a collection of illustrated poems by William Blake. Originally, Blake illuminated and bound ''Songs of Innocence'' and ''Songs of Experience'' separately. It was only in 1794 that Blake combined the t ...

'', is the earliest such work inspired by Blake now known. In 1876, Bell was promoted to Permanent Secretary to the

Keeper of the Privy Purse The Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the King/Queen (or Financial Secretary to the King/Queen) is responsible for the financial management of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the Monarchy of the United Kingd ...

and remained in post until his death. His annual salary in 1888 was £300. In 1871, Bell studied the tombs of

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...

and Henry III at

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

, and in 1877 was elected a Fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...

. His greatest work in that field was a study of the burials in the

Church of St Peter ad Vincula The Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula ("St Peter in chains") is a Chapel Royal and the former parish church of the Tower of London. The chapel's name refers to the story of Saint Peter's imprisonment under Herod Agrippa in Jerusalem. Situate ...

in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

."Mr Doyne Courtenay Bell" (obituary) in ''Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London, 1889''
p. 140
/ref> By 1879, he had been elected as a member of the Council of the Society.

Personal life

At the census of 1861, Bell was living at 50, Gower Street, with his parents, Robert and Laura Bell, an unmarried sister, and two female servants. 1861 United Kingdom census
"Gower Street, Finsbury"

"Doyce Courtenay Bell in the 1871 England Census""Doyne C. Bell"

1881 United Kingdom census The United Kingdom Census of 1881 recorded the people residing in every household on the night of Sunday 3 April 1881, and was the fifth of the Census in the United Kingdom, UK censuses to include details of household members. Data recorded Detail ...

"Royal Mews"
ancestry.co.uk, accessed 1 November 2023 On 19 November 1862, at the church of

St Mary-at-Lambeth The Garden Museum (formerly known as the Museum of Garden History) in London is Britain's only museum of the art, history and design of gardens. The museum re-opened in 2017 after an 18-month redevelopment project. The building is largely the ...

, Bell married Amelia Sampson, the daughter of Thomas Sampson, a tailor. He gave his occupation as "Government Clerk" and signed his name as Doyne C. Bell. By 1871, he was a widower. In 1881 he was living in an apartment in the Royal Mews, with a cook and a housemaid. Henry Grattan by Francis Wheatley

Bell died at the

Royal Mews The Royal Mews is a mews, or collection of equestrian stables, of the British royal family. In London these stables and stable-hands' quarters have occupied two main sites in turn, being located at first on the north side of Charing Cross, and ...

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

, where he was still living, in March 1888, leaving a substantial fortune valued at £11,566 (). His unmarried sisters Louisa Georgiana and Ethel Hamilton Bell and another relation, Robert Courtenay Bell, were his executors. It was reported that he had died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

, and his friend Scharf wrote an obituary for '' The Athenaeum''. Doyne's executors gave his portrait of

Henry Grattan Henry Grattan (3 July 1746 – 4 June 1820) was an Irish politician and lawyer who campaigned for legislative freedom for the Irish Parliament in the late 18th century from Britain. He was a Member of the Irish Parliament (MP) from 1775 to 18 ...

Francis Wheatley Francis Wheatley may refer to: *Francis Wheatley (painter) Francis Wheatley Royal Academy, RA (174728 June 1801) was an England, English portrait and Landscape art, landscape Painting, painter. Life and work Wheatley was born at Wild Court, Cov ...

to the National Portrait Gallery, and towards the end of 1888 Bell was recorded as a donor to the Gallery."Donors of Portraits to the National Portrait Gallery in the Order of their Donations", in

, ed., ''Historical and Descriptive Catalogue of the Pictures, Busts, &c. in the National Portrait Gallery'' (H. M. Stationery Office, 1888)
p. 14
/ref>

Publications

*''The National Memorial to His Royal Highness the Prince Consort, with descriptive letter-press by D. C. Bell'' (London: John Murray, 1873) *''Notices of the Historic Persons buried in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula in the Tower of London: with an Account of the Discovery of the Supposed Remains of Queen Anne Boleyn'' (London: John Murray, 1877; reprinted by Creative Media Partners, LLC, October 2022, , 398 pages)

Notes

External links

''Notices of the historic persons buried in the chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula, in the Tower of London''
(1877, full text at

HathiTrust HathiTrust Digital Library is a large-scale collaborative repository of digital content from research libraries. Its holdings include content digitized via Google Books and the Internet Archive digitization initiatives, as well as content digit ...

) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell Doyne Courtenay 1830 births 1888 deaths 19th-century English composers Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London People educated at University College School