CEO Name: Sir Arthur Bell
Company Name: Belltower Ltd.
Company Logo: A silhouette of Bell Hall, with "Bell tower" written underneath
Main/Starting HQ: British Isles; United Kingdom; Bell Estate
History how it was founded: The Bell estate has been in the hands of various members of the Bell Family since it passed into their hands during the reign of Richard the Third. Part of Richard the Thirds attempt to consolidate power was to promote people from the lower nobility and the Bell family, formerly Yeomen, were made Gentlemen as a result of this consolidation. Later Edward Bell refused to fight at Bosworth Field, avoiding the attainders placed on opposing nobles by Henry. Edward claimed divine intervention told him not to fight, although in reality he was merely a coward who was hoping to let the rest of Richards army do the work then swoop in for glory.
During the English Civil War, Richard Bell fought for Charles I. Richard Bell was, at some unknown point, killed by Parliamentarians. Upon Charles defeat, the family fled England only to return during the restoration. The Bell family were rewarded for their service to the Crown by making him a Baronet. In 1720 the existing building was bulldozed and replaced with Bell Hall, featuring a tall tower above its entrance that was simply named “Bell Tower”
The Bell family slowly grew in stature over the remaining years and by 1874 the estate was four times the size it had been during the reign of Richard the Third, constituting 50 acres. It was filled with ‘colonial treasures’, including diamonds from India and objects stolen from the White House by Edward Bell, who participated in the war of 1812. Although Edward had engaged in battle in America, the families true wealth lay within the East India Company. After the loss of their American plantations in the revolutionary war, the Bells had turned their focus to the East and became involved in the lucrative East India Company. Like many involved in the East India company, they made a fortune pocketing great amounts of money informally. However, in 1857 company rule had been replaced by Direct Government rule. The Bell Families growth stopped, and they were forced to sell off part of the estate to balance the books. Misfortune struck, in 1874 the East India Company was dissolved completely. The Bell Family sustained themselves through sales of their colonial collection, however after the great depression hit in the late 1920’s, the family were forced to sell off more of their estate.
By the end of the second world war, the Estate consisted of only Bell Manor and 3 acres of land. It was owned by the heirless Mary Bell who died in 1977. The nearest living relative was discovered to be her third cousin twice removed, a lower class family in the Midlands. The family had diverged in 1820 when one of the children married into the lower classes and moved away. As it turns out, the Bell Family forced him to silence in order to avoid damage to their reputation. The estate has now been passed down to Arthur Bell from his parents. Arthur is a technophile who has embraced his upper class heritage. Having grown up during the arrival of the first video games and seeing the possible future potential as power grows, Arthur see’s the market as a potential way to make a fortune and add his own chapter to the long running Bell family history. In order to save money, Arthur converted the east wing of Bell Hall to form the foundation of his new company. Arthur set up his Directors Office at the top of Bell Tower (Keeping the door from Belltower to the west wing locked during the work day in order to stop employee’s straying into his home) and simply dubbed the company “Belltower”
