Criminal Lunatic Hatton Lunatic Asylum 1900

[Carol Ann A]

Hello,
        I am looking for information about the Hatton Lunatic Asylum, imparticular the treatment of Criminal Lunatics in 1900.
I live in Australia, so most of my research has to be through the net, however I do have a couple of books, "The Victorian Asylum" and "Central Hospital Remembered". These only give a general view, with little or no mention of Criminal Lunatics, and seem to concentrate on how well the patients were treated. Information I have found on the net, again seems to "skim" over certain issues.

If anyone could tell me if there are any sites worth looking at, or a book I could buy, or even better, if they had knowledge themselves about the Asylum, I would be extremely grateful if you could share it with me.

Any information would be great, but topics I am particularly interested in are........living conditions of the criminal, were they allowed to mingle with the other patients or kept apart?
Were they kept in solitude for long periods of time?
Were mechanical and drug restraints used?
Were they allowed visitors, and correspondence?
Does anyone know if they wore a uniform, and if so, what did it look like?

With many thanks,
Carol Ann

[willow154]

Hi Carol Ann,
This is the best I can find for you, at the moment. Hatton is listed in the right hand column.
http://www.mdx.ac.uk/WWW/STUDY/4_13_Ta.htm#WarwickshireCounty
I've had a quick browse through he records available ( archives 1-4), but couldn't see any reference to 'criminal' patients. There are photographs mentioned, though, so you should be able to find ones of uniforms, etc.
However, I see you are in Australia, so it's not going to be easy - any relatives over here?
I'll see if I can find anything else, and be back to you if I succeed.
Hope this helps a little.
Paulene

[willow154]

Hi again,
Just did a search on googlebooks and found a book entitled 'Policing and Punishment in Nineteenth Century Britian' by Victor Bailey.
Searching for 'Hatton' the index told me:
"for the purposes of studying the problem of criminal lunatics in local institutions, our 'sample' is a complete one. Warwick County Asylum, at Hatton, was an asylum of average size (453 patients in 1869, 653 in 1879 and 650 in 1889) in a county which included the urban centre of Coventry, several smaller market towns, with hinterlands of rural and mixed economies."
Chapter 9, written by Janet Saunders, is called 'Magistrates and Madmen: Segregating the criminally insane in late nineteenth century Warwickshire'.
Not all of the chapter is available on googlebooks, but it certainly looks as if she has looked at the Hatton records, and written about the system there. A few pages of the book are on view.
Might be worth tracking this book down, Carol Ann.
Paulene
ADDED: It sounds as if it might be worth contacting Janet Saunders (* details in book).

[willow154]

J. Saunders:
'Institutionalised offenders: a study of the Victorian Institution and its inmates with special reference to late-nineteenth-century Warwickshire'.
University of Warwick, Ph.D., 1983.

[willow154]

And finally:
Snippet view of book called 'Women, Crime, and Custody in Victorian England' by Lucia Zedner on googlebooks, which mentions work of Janet Saunders.
Interesting subject -  let us know how you get on. (My daughter did her thesis on mental health treatments, and attitudes, in 1930s).
Good luck.
Paulene

[modem]

Have you been in touch with Warwickshire Records Office? They hold patient records for Hatton.

[Carol Ann A]

Hello Paulene,
                      Firstly my apologies for only just getting-back to you, I received some new information with a death-certificate, and I have been absorbed in that.

Many thanks for all the information you have given me, I will certainly look into all of it. I have requested medical-records from the Warwick Records Office, which should be here soon.

What started as a record of family memories to leave to nieces and nephews, is turning into a massive project, with each answered question sparking a new one!!

Once again, many thanks for your help Paulene.

Sending you best wishes and some Aussie sunshine,
Carol Ann

[Singingsnail]

Hello Carol
I worked at Hatton for many years as a mental health nurse in the '80s and '90s. I may be able to answer some questions you have, some from memory and some from memories of what patients said. Many of the patients who were there when I began training in 1980 had been there since the 1920's. Many staff has also been working since the 1930's - I can certainly tell you their tales...... and I am in contact with several people who worked at Hatton at that time.
My grandmother was the daughter of a lunatic asylum worker elsewhere and grew up in the asylum - she was born in 1900... so I may be also able to give you an overview of that period.
I was really made up to find your post - I am thinking of writing something for the nursing press about mental health history and was just taking a preliminary look around the net to see what was out there, and what interest was out there.
  please get back to me with questions - Debbie

[gizzerdynile]

This is a message to Singingsnail......ive just read that you used to work at hatton asylum and would have known the patients, well im on a family history course and have just found out that my great great nan was a patient who was admitted about 1935, not sure how long she was there, i think it might have been the rest of her life, id really like the opportunity to speak with you as you may have known her.

Many thanks
Mrs.Johnson