John Bell-Irving

John Bell-Irving

John Bell-Irving (1813–1907) was a Scottish businessman in Hong Kong.

Biography

John Bell-Irving was born in 1813 and studied law in Edinburgh. He was a director of the Hongkong Electric Company and partner of the Jardine Matheson & Co., his wife Mary Jardine's family's trading company. He was appointed to the Legislative Council of Hong Kong in 1886 and 1887 until his retirement from public and business service and returned to Scotland. He was a Justice of Peace for the County of Dumfries for more than a half century and one of the founder of the Dumfriesshire Fox Hunt.^[1] He died in 1907 at the age of 94.

Family

He married Mary Jardine, nephew of William Jardine and sister of Sir Robert Jardine, in 1843; they had 10 children:^[1]

1. John, born February 2, 1846.
2. David Jardine, born August 12, 1847.
3. William Ogle, born July 8, 1851.
4. Andrew, born July 9, 1855.
5. James Jardine, born December 24, 1857.
6. Rachel Johnstone Jardine, born August 12, 1844.
7. Margaretta Ogle,born April, 16, 1849, died March 11, 1850.
8. Margaretta Ogle, born June 1, 1853, died 1899.
9. Mary, born May 13, 1860.
10. Jessie Elizabeth, born July 6, 1862.

References