Great Barr Hall, Walsall

[Beard grandchild]

Thanks Seaweed,
I'll have another look around, see if I can come up with anything else.
Cheers,
Pat

[doubleRR]

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  . 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

[Beard grandchild]

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.

[doubleRR]

Hi,
my sister worked there quite a long time, do you know when he died?

Have just pm'd you 

[doubleRR]

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

[doubleRR]

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 

[Beard grandchild]

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 

Thanks doubleRR,
i will definately have a look at this one.
Pat.

[Dawnbeard]

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

[Beard grandchild]

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.