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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Staffordshire => England => Staffordshire Lookup Requests => Topic started by: Beard grandchild on Saturday 13 November 10 21:10 GMT (UK)
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I have recently found out that one of my grandfather's nephews was sent to the Great Barr Mental Institution as a young man and spent the rest of his life there.
Now, the dates and information that I have about this young man are from 2 different sources.
One tells me that he was the son of Minnie Beard and Bertram Smith and born about 1941, but the other informant says that this dob is way out, as he can actually remember the young man as a child, and says he was born nearer to 1926.
As far as I know, Minnie didn't marry Bertram until 1930, so there is a chance that he was illegitimate, hence the name I have for him being Peter Beard.
Yet I also know for definite that it was Bertram, not Minnie who kept in touch with him when he was in the Asylum.
Not much to go on, I know, but is there anyway I can trace deaths which happened at Great Barr Hall as opposed to Walsall Deaths in general?
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Minnie & Bertram did marry in 1930 as per freebmd - but in Wortley Yorkshire
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If you check freebmd - there is no Peter Beard birth pre-1930 with mothers maiden name Beard
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Hi Carole and thanks.
The person who gave me the marriage between Minnie and Bertram was about 90% sure that the 1930 entry was the correct one.
Peter cannot have been born as late as 1941, as my uncle who does actually remember him as a child, can remember him visiting the family when they lived above a shop in town, and by 1935 the family had moved to a completely different location.
This is why I was hoping to be able to trace the death entry for Peter , to find out when he was born, then perhaps trace his parentage.
My uncle was always under the impression that he belonged to another of his aunts, not to Minnie, but The sister he thought was the mother married in 1908 and went on to have 5 children with her husband from what I've found out so far.
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There is a death registered February 1999 in Walsall of a Peter Beard b 2.4.1937
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Thanks Carole,
Was Great Barr still open as a mental hospital as late as 1999 though? I have been told that Peter definitely died while still a patient there.
Cheers, Pat.
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Haven't a clue - have you googled it for info?
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All I came up with was that the hall itself was closed in 1978, and the hospital closed some years later - no actual date!
I'll have another look tomorrow when I'm not so tired.
Pat.
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The institution was also known as St Margaret's hospital and a google search suggests it finally closed in 1986/87
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Thanks Seaweed,
I'll have another look around, see if I can come up with anything else.
Cheers,
Pat
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I see you are on about St Margarets Mental Hospital, as it was, till they closed it down, My sister used to work there, (Mental Health Nurse). And we used to drink in the social club ;D. I'm waiting for a text off her as to when it closed!
Since it has been closed it has been knocked down and is now a housing estate.
I'm sure it was open later than that as I say i used to drink in there and would only have been 14 then! and i worked behind the bar there briefly. lol
It was about 10 years ago it closed
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Thanks DoubleRR,
I don't think Peter would have been alive as late as that. I haven't found a death date for either Minnie or Bertram yet, but as Minnie was born in 1895, I doubt she would have been alive herself as late as the 1990's.
Any information about Great Barr is very welcome though. I haven't a clue what he did to be sent there, and the person who gave me the information about him very recently said that she had only ever been told that he did something very bad, and Minnie never either forgave him, nor would let any family member give him a home when it was suggested that he was released.
Cheers,
Pat.
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Hi,
my sister worked there quite a long time, do you know when he died?
Have just pm'd you ;D
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Pat,
Can i just say, that, having a loose connection with the hosp, I can tell you what they considered to have been very bad years ago and indeed worthy of putting someone into a mental institution for, we would not bat an eye at nowadays...
I heard some very sad stories from there of the reasons why some of the people had been put in there, and indeed then become institutionalised.
So sad
Kim x
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Pat,
are you on facebook, St Margarets has a page on there, you may be able to post something on there?
Lots of old staff on there ;D
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Pat,
are you on facebook, St Margarets has a page on there, you may be able to post something on there?
Lots of old staff on there ;D
Thanks doubleRR,
i will definately have a look at this one.
Pat.
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Hello there. I am very new to this site but i came across ur message re peter beard death 1999 in walsall. I am sure that is my father in law. He was a builder and didnt go to st margarets. He was born thomas beard around 1940 and changed his name to peter. I av only just started searching beard so iff u av any imfo on beards in walsall that u cud share i wud be grateful. Many thanks dawn
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Hi Dawn,
Sorry but my Peter Beard (might be known as Smith) was born much earlier than 1940.
He was sent to Great Barr as a young man and lived the rest of his life there. I've never found either his birth or his death , there again I don't know where or what name he was registered under. My uncle who is aged 92 remembers him visiting their house in the late 1920's early 1930's but could only remember the name Peter - no surname.
I've still not managed to find much else about him - he was the child of my grandfathers sister and was born before she was married.
Our Beards come from Pershore, Worcestershire.