Devon County Lunatic asylum

[joopow]

My ancestor who was dumb from birth according to the 1861 census appears to have spent the years from 1869 to 1901 in Somerset asylum.
I have records from his time spent there, and very sad reading they make.
In 1911 he was in Devon County asylum, Kenton. aged 58
I cannot yet be sure of his death date, a couple of certificates ordered.
Where might an inmate be buried ?

[gordon5]

Hi

Not sure but in some cases inmates (what a terrible term) were buried on site. Have you tried the county records office? I think they hold the records now although they may have transferred them to the National Archives.

gordon5

[terryleaman]

Devon County Lunatic Asylum had its own burial ground- even though the building has now been converted to flats and houses the graveyard is still there.
It is well looked after, but there are only a couple of monuments.
He may not have been buried there though, he might have been taken back to his home parish.

[cemetery friends]

The majority of inmates were classed as paupers some originating as such but in many cases families abandoned their relatives once they were admitted to an asylum so be default became paupers. Lunatic paupers as they were termed were not by law allowed to be identified with a grave marker other than a number.

At the Bath and North Somerset Lunatic Asylum at Wells, the old burial ground was up for consideration of development and a developer illegally jumped the gun went on site and ripped out all the ground markers so the burial plots became undentiable. To add to the problem the NHS staff administering the records of the renamed Community Hospital and later Elderly Residents Unit decided to throw all the burial registers into a skip. The burial ground is now in the care of Friends of Mendip Hospital Cemetery.

[jorog]

Devon Records Office hold some of the records for Devon Lunatic Asylum. I paid the Archivist to research and was sent copies of the records held. They show the date of admission, next of kin, patient records + date of death, but do not show burial place.
I do not know if some of the records would show burial place.
Jo

[terryleaman]

Many were buried at the Asylum. The grave yard is still there and is protected, and well looked after. There are a couple of headstones there but in general the graves are unmarked.
I believe that if the family could afford it then the burial could be in the patient's home parish.

[raa]

where is the devon county lunatic asylum

[terryleaman]

It was at Exminster- just outside of Exeter.
Buildings still stand, all now converted to luxury flats. The farm area now has houses on it. You may like to look at http://www.devingtonpark.co.uk/
which shows how it all looks today

[kathb]

My great, great aunt was in an asylum for 20 years.  There was a graveyard at the asylum, but I was so pleased when I researched her burial to find that she had been buried in the family plot with her parents and siblings.  At least she was not forgotten.
Regards
Kathb