Family and Education

b. 1534, 2nd s. of Thomas Bellott of Great Moreton Hall, Astbury, Cheshire by Alice, da. of William Roydon of Burton, Denb.

Offices Held

Steward of the household of Sir William Cecil 1566-98 and aft. servant of Robert Cecil; farmer of the customs of soft silks, cambrics and lawns by 1602; ‘servant in ordinary’ of Jas. I by 1610.

Biography

Bellott entered Burghley’s household, according to his memorial, at the age of 14. He and Gabriel Goodman, dean of Westminster, were the executors of Burghley’s will, and may have been related to him, and to each other. Afterwards Bellott entered Cecil’s service, and finally that of James I. Quite why Bellott (or Cecil for him) decided that he wanted to sit in Parliament at the age of 67 does not appear, but the likely patron was Thomas Howard, 3rd Viscount Bindon, who collected nominations from several boroughs and offered them to Cecil. At one time certainly still in 1597—Bellott lived at Melcombe Regis, whence he sent the government intelligence reports, news of naval and troop movements in the Channel, and so on. About the turn of the century he became involved in an obscure scandal. He grumbled to Cecil about ‘ill-wishers’, ‘unkindly brawls’ and referred to ‘that woman’ who had served ‘my Lady’. ‘A heavy censure of his doings’ had made him leave ‘my Lady’, but he was determined to try his ‘fortune in another course’.

From the 1570s Bellott was a benefactor of Bath abbey, and in 1609 he founded an almshouse at Bath. He died at Enfield 2 Aug. 1611 and was buried at Cheshunt.

Ref Volumes: 1558-1603

Author: P. W. Hasler

Notes