I read Tom Bellas' post, regarding Rachel Bellas in Keswick (1839-1862), and would like to pass along that two members of the Bellas family bred fell ponies on Moor Farm in Keswick during that period (John and Robert).
I would also like to add a correction to Item 1, which states that John Bellas married Barbary Spedding in 1725. He married Barbara Spedding. Barbary Spedding was the girl's mother, who married Thomas Spedding in 1701.

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Panzie, we can not contact you - email address is out of date.

Hello Panzie,
It seems that over the years Barbary moved to Barbara. Thomas Spedding and Mary Birkbeck were married in 1701 and the first child was Barbary baptised in 1702. In my data-set I enter the children under their baptismal name which is why I have Barbary as John Bellas?s wife.
When the three sons (Joseph, Thomas, and Anthony) that we have data for were baptised the mother?s name appeared as Barbary, Barb:, and Barbara.
Barbary/Barbara is one of my mysteries in that I do not know what became of her; I have not found a burial for her as yet. There is said to be a reference to her in a manor roll from 1773 but I have not seen the original to see just what appears.
I had seen reference to the pony breeders when using the marvellous new index to the Times of London. There were mentions in 1922, 1926, and 1935 in connection with the Pony show. I assume that Robert and John were sons of John Bellas and Sarah Dowthwaite.
Tom Bellas

Well, I did not find many Bellas but I did find the Wharton family in the registers for Crosthwaite parish which is really largely the town of Keswick. The descent of Rachel that I have is:

1	  John Bellas married 1725 Barbary Spedding
1.2	  Joseph Bellas married 1751 Ann Brown
1.2.2	  John Bellas married 1782 Anne Hodgson
1.2.2.12  Rachel Bellas married 1826 Henry Wharton

Rachel was buried 1853.09.24 & Henry on 1863.02.21 aged 67

Their children were:
   1   Ann 1826 mar 1854 John Routledge
   2   Thomas 1828 in 1881 census unmarried
   3   Frances 1830
   4   John 1832
   5   Henry 1833-1856
   6   William 1835-1914 [mar 1864 Mary Conway]
   7   Rachel 1839-1862
   8   Joseph 1841 mar 1868 Mary ??
   9   George 1846 mar 1867 Mary Ann ??

I found Thomas, Joseph and George in the 1881 census still living around the region so I suspect that they did not migrate to Australia unless they came later. Joseph & George were not married at Crosthwaite, the years come from the UK marriage index. I did not find Frances or John in the later records.

In a list of Cumberland residents from 1847 Henry Wharton is listed as being a "beer seller" at Portinscale. Keswick is at the northeastern end of Derwent Water and Portinscale is over the other side of the river at the northwestern end of the lake.

A few years ago I was in contact with another Bellas researcher from Liverpool and she passed on a message from an Annette Egerton who was searching for information about Rachel Bellas who married Henry Wharton at Hesket in the Forest. When I attempted to contact her at the e-mail address that had been provided my message bounced. I gather that she was in Australia somewhere. Have you an Annette Egerton in your records? I am wondering whether she may be a descendant of William's.