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Sir Thomas Bell the Elder (1486–1566) was an English cap manufacturer, mayor of Gloucester and MP. He was a manufacturer of caps (i.e. headwear) in Gloucester and one of the city's largest employers and wealthiest citizens and a great benefactor of the city and its people. He is described in contemporaneous documents as a "capper".〔(Living Gloucester )〕 He invested much of his wealth in real estate released on the Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes in partnership with Richard Duke (c. 1515-1572), of Otterton, Devon, Clerk of the Court of Augmentations.〔(Wakefield Vellum Documents )〕 He was thrice Mayor of Gloucester (for 1535–36, 1543–44 and 1553–54) and served four times as Member of Parliament (MP) for the city (1545–47, 1547–52, 1553 and 1554–55). He was knighted on 27 February 1546/7. He appears to have held orthodox Roman Catholic religious views as in 1537, while mayor, was accused by leading townsmen John Huggins and John Rastell of calling Bishop Latimer of Worcester a heretic.〔VCH Gloucester.〕 A portrait of Bell the Elder is in the possession of Gloucester City Council.() He is not to be confused with his younger brother (possibly half-brother), also called Thomas, also prominent, Sir Thomas Bell the Younger (d. 1560/1),〔Death of Sir Thomas Bell the Younger 1560/1: GDR Wills 1561/120. Per VCH Glos.〕 Mayor of Bristol, who also served as Mayor of Gloucester in 1543 and 1554/5.〔Rudge, T. ''The History & Antiquities of Gloucester''. pp.71–72, list of mayors; p.325.〕 ==Family origins== The 1623 Visitation of Gloucestershire reveals nothing as to the parentage of the Bell brothers. The Gloucester family possibly was descended from the ancient de Belne family of Worcestershire. Evidence from armourials does not suggest any link to John Bell (d. 1556), Bishop of Worcester. It does not seem likely that this family was directly related to the Bells of Berkshire, Yorkshire or Norfolk. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Thomas Bell (Mayor of Gloucester)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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