author

Edward Bellasis

1852–1922

A Victorian and early 20th-century English writer with an unusually wide range, he moved easily between biography, family history, church notes, and music. He was also a herald at the College of Arms, which helps explain the precision and antiquarian flavor of much of his work.

1 Audiobook

Cardinal Newman as a Musician

Cardinal Newman as a Musician

by Edward Bellasis

About the author

Born in 1852 and dying in 1922, Edward Bellasis was an English barrister, officer of arms, and author. Reliable sources available here identify him especially as a long-serving herald at the College of Arms in London, and Wikisource also lists him as a barrister and genealogist.

His books show broad interests rather than a single specialty. Works attributed to him on Wikisource include Cherubini, memorials illustrative of his life and work (1874), The Machells of Crackenthorpe (1886), Westmorland church notes (1888), Cardinal Newman as a musician (1892), Memorials of Mr. Serjeant Bellasis, 1800–1873 (1893), and Coram cardinali (1916). Together, they suggest a writer drawn to biography, local and family history, religion, and music.

That combination of legal training, heraldic work, and historical curiosity gives Bellasis a distinctive place among late 19th-century nonfiction writers. Readers interested in genealogy, English Catholic figures, or carefully researched memorial writing may find his work especially appealing.