Patrick Bell

Bell was a Church of Scotland minister and an inventor of agricultural machinery. In 1827, he made a working model of a reaping machine, exhibiting it at the Highland and Agricultural Society in 1828-9. However, he never patented his design as he wanted it to be available for people to produce. The Highland Society awarded him £1000 for services to agriculture, he was also given an honorary degree of LLD from the University of St Andrews. He was ordained in the Church of Scotland in 1843 as minister of the parish of Carmyllie and kept this post until his death.