[2] William Bell was born in Greenwich, a town growing in prosperity and importance due to the expansion in size and professionalism of the British Royal Navy during the early eighteenth century.
[1] Bell received his BA degree in 1753, with marks that placed him eighth on the university examination results list,[4] and he was elected a fellow of Magdalene College the same year.
He was one of two winners that year of a prize recently created by the politician-aristocrat Charles Townshend, reflecting the importance of mercantile interests to the contemporary political establishment.
A constant theme was Bell's concern always to assert biblical authority in support of his theological positions, although others sometimes construed his own interpretations of scripture as over-contrived.
[2] In 1776, Bell was presented with an additional living, becoming Vicar of St Bride's Church in central London, an appointment "within the gift" of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster.
[2] An obituary published in 1816, reflecting ethical norms of the regency period, states that Bell also "enjoyed the Treasurer's valuable stall in St, Paul's Cathedral",[7] although a source from later in the nineteenth century reassures readers that he "administered [this] office with becoming disinterestedness".
The publication that resonated most widely appeared in 1780 (with a second edition in 1781) and was entitled An attempt to ascertain and illustrate the authority, nature, and design of the institute of Christ commonly called the communion of the Lord's supper.