He is notable as a Member of Parliament who was declared of unsound mind but there was no way of removing him from his seat until his death two years later.
The Manor has been in the family since the fifteenth century though there had been several cases where there was no direct heir and it had passed to a sister's son who had assumed the name Bell.
[6] Subsequently he became increasingly absent from Parliament and in the session to August 1849 he failed to be present for any of the 219 votes.
A succession of witnesses were called, each of whom testified concerning Bell's mental state, repeating his belief that he was a bird.
[3] It was only with the passing of the Lunacy (Vacating of Seats) Act 1886 that it was possible to remove MPs who were of unsound mind.