BELL

bell, henry glassford (1803-1874), a scottish lawyer and man of letters, was born at glasgow on the 8th of november 1803. he received his education at the glasgow high school and at edinburgh university. he became intimate with "delta" moir, james hogg, john wilson (christopher north), and others of the brilliant staff of _blackwood's magazine_, to which he was drawn by his political sympathies. in 1828 he became editor of the _edinburgh literary journal_, which was eventually incorporated in the _edinburgh weekly chronicle_. he was admitted to the bar in 1832. in 1839 he was appointed sheriff-substitute of lanarkshire, and in 1867 he succeeded sir archibald alison in the post of sheriff-principal of the county, an office which he filled with distinguished success. in 1831 he published _summer and winter hours_, a volume of poems, of which the best known is that on mary, queen of scots. he further defended the cause of the unfortunate queen in a prose _life_ (2 vols., 1828-1831). among his other works may be mentioned a preface which he wrote to bell and bains's edition (1865) of the works of shakespeare, and _romances and minor poems_ (1866). he figures in the society of the _noctes ambrosianae_ as "tallboys." he died on the 7th of january 1874.