Prestwich Asylum records

[Morganatoo]

Hi
Not been on here for quite a while so this may have been answered previously.
An ancestor (Born 11 March 1826 ) was incarcerated in Prestwich Asylum in April 1883 after a stroke (from which she died on  30 Aug  1885  )
I have found the admission entry on Find My Past but would love to read the record of what happened to her in there. I know sometimes too that these places took photos of inmates and I don't have one of her.
Can anyone point me in the right direction ? Her name was Sarah Ann Daltry of Oldham -  Patient No: 5362
Thanks

[mshrmh]

The records seem to be split between Greater Manchester County Record Office (with Manchester Archives) and Lancashire Records Office. The link is to the former which has details & mentions restricted access - may be a case of telephoning & finding what they would allow access to if you want to visit:
http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/448/archives_and_local_studies/5481/hospital_records/11

[Morganatoo]

Thanks mshmrh. Very helpful. I'll call the Records Office and ask for further info.

[LizzieW]

The only restriction, if they have the records, is that they will not release them until 100 years after the inmate's death.  As Morganatoo's ancestor died in 1885 there is no problem.

Lizzie

ps.  I know about this restriction because they refuse to release the records of my g.uncle who went into the asylum in 1907 and stayed there until his death in 1964   After a lot of argument, they did agree to send me a photocopy of his entry page dated 1907, which had his photograph on it.  As I already had a photo of him as a young boy, I already knew what he would have looked like as a young man (aged 27 when he went into the asylum).  I did think I'd try again and see if they'll now send me the pages from 1907 to 1912, just to get a bit more information about him.

[Morganatoo]

Hi LizzieW

Who are the "They" you refer to, who let you look at the records ?

Thanks

[LizzieW]

Sorry - "they" were the staff at the archives.  I contacted them via e-mail, having first been in touch with someone at Prestwich Asylum who told me I could look have copies of the records.  However, the archives staff said that now they had them, they were sticking to the "spurious" 100 year rule. 

(Spurious being my word not the archives staff word, they believe there is such a thing and nothing will change their mind).  I even tried quoting Freedom of Information etc. but they wouldn't budge and it was only after quite a lot of e-mail correspondence with them, and my telling them that one of my relatives was suffering from a mental illness and we wanted to know if there was a hereditary link, that they agreed to send me a copy of my g.uncle's admission page - which is more than 100 years old.

As far as I know there are many records all bound together in one book so there is no way you would be able to go to find your ancestor's record, in case you decided to look at other records that weren't 100 years old.

Lizzie

[Morganatoo]

Thanks again Lizzie.
I emailed them yesterday and will see what they say.
Thanks again

[Morganatoo]

Thanks again Lizze.
I have now been to Preston to look at the records of my Great Great Grandmothers stay in that asylum. A friend and I were quite moved to read what was written about her in there. I had thought that the" cerebral softening of 3 years " on her death certificate meant that she had had a stroke but I think it must have been dementia. Labelled 'melancholia' it sounded at first like severe depression but i will never really know. Very very sad tho.

[LizzieW]

Glad you were able to see the records Morgantoo. 

I don't know what cerebral softening means, as my 2 x g.aunt (she married my g.grandmother's brother and she was the sister of  my g.grandfather!), died, at home, of softening of the brain of 2 months in 1881 when she was only 21.  She had had a baby in January 1881, who died of bronchitis in March 1881, then my g.g.aunt died in June 1881.  I doubt she had dementia at 21 and I don't know of anyone dying of depression/melancholia (unless it was suicide and there is nothing like that on the death cert). 

There are various explanations on the internet, it seems to have been a "cover all" in the 19th century, before doctors knew what was really happening.  So your g.g.grandmother could have had a stroke or dementia, and my g.g.aunt could have had encephalitis or other infection (my daughter in law had encephalitis after the birth of her first child in 1990 and she ended up in intensive care.  She was treated with intravenous aciclovar which had recently become available and, fortunately, made a good recovery.

Lizzie