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We are often asked, usually as a postscript to some other topic of family history, ‘By the way, are you related to the Bethell family of
Rise Park?’ The short answer is ‘probably not,’ but that brief response does not do justice to an intriguing story, so we have
prepared the following short account for the amusement of our correspondents.
The Rise Park Bethells, along with other distinguished East Riding Bethells, are documented at some length in the book by David Bethel called ‘An Industrious People: A Celebration of the Bethell Families.’ (1) We do not think we are related to them. The Bethells of Rise were a Herefordshire family with supposed origins in Wales (the name is an anglicized version of Ap Ithell - son of Ithell). They acquired their extensive estates in East Yorkshire, centred on Rise, in the will of a lady in waiting to Queen Elizabeth I for unspecified services rendered. They proceeded to spawn various Bethell families throughout East Yorkshire (including Alne, Kirby Overblow and Watton Abbey) and into Lincolnshire, but then, in 1799, all known male lines died out. The estate at Rise was bequeathed to another Herefordshire family with the same surname and the same coat of arms, but who (allegedly) were not able at the time to prove a common ancestry with the original family! (2) The later Rise Park Bethells have continued to play a big part in public life (Tony Bethell was Lord Lieutenant of Humberside for a number of years until his death in July 1996), but have not been as illustrious as the original family who, amongst other significant achievements, played a big role in the English Civil War. The earliest known Bethell ancestor of the John Bethell now living in Nailsworth (the one who wrote this short note!) was also a John Bethell. We know that he fathered an illegitimate son, William Bethell, who was born in South Ferriby in 1807 (or possibly late 1806). We also know that his profession was Butler and that he probably served the Nelthorpe family in South Ferriby. He died in London in the 1840s. However, we have been unable to determine where John came from. It is just conceivable that he may have descended from a Lincolnshire branch of the original Rise Park Bethells which had been forgotten about (3). However, there are many other possibilities relating to John’s origins, and, frankly, we have no aristocratic delusions. Our Bethell line does move from South Ferriby via Brigg, Leeds and Hull to Beverley, in the heartland of the ‘other’ Bethells, but there is no reason to doubt that this is pure coincidence.
Compiled by John and Jane Bethell
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