James Tilly Matthews

James Tilly Matthews (1770 - January 10, 1815) was a British tea merchant and political activist, noted today as one of the more well-known examples of the influencing machine delusion, having been committed to the Bethlem Royal Hospital (Bedlam) in 1797 after shouting "treason" in the British House of Commons. Matthews was convinced that "Air Loom" gangs were controlling many important figures in British life, including himself, and provided extensive detail of their operations and techniques, which were documented by John Haslam in his 1810 book Illustrations of Madness.

Resources

 * "The Air Loom Gang: James Tilly Matthews and his visionary madness" (nthposition.com) &mdash; summary article of Mike Jay's 2004 book.