Lunacy Patients Admissions Registers 1846-1912

[smudwhisk]

Ancestry have released scans of the Lunacy Patients Admissions Registers from 1846 to 1912 which is great since I now know when my 2xGGfather was admitted to the Essex County Lunatic Asylum and then transferred to the West Ham Asylum when it opened.

However, does anyone have any idea whether the original admission papers would have been retained on transfer to the new Asylum or whether they would probably have gone with him? 

The reason I'm wondering is that the NHS Hospital that was original the West Ham Asylum are apparently claiming all records have been destroyed, although other information suggests they are just inaccessible due to Health & Safety issues.  If the original admission papers stayed with the County Asylum, these, if they survive, are now at the Essex Records Office.  I'm just very curious as to why he was admitted and spent the last 46 years of his life in a Mental Asylum, although I would probably have to wait until 2020 when its the centenary of his death to gain access if they did survive.  I've not been able to find any newspaper report on the case, although it would appear to have an admittance by authorities rather than his family putting him in there.

[lisalisa]

Might the death cert offer an explanation or clues as to why your 2xGGfather was there?

Lisa

[smudwhisk]

Unfortunately it does not.  He died of a cerebral haemorrhage rather than a certain STD.  I don't think he'd have been in there 46 years if it had been the latter.

Prior to these registers appearing the only reason I knew he had been in there since around 1874 was the 1911 Census.  He literally disappeared off the planet, until we picked him up on the 1911 Census (and then found the earlier entries) after the birth of his last child which was around the time he was admitted.

[Archivos]

Get in touch with Essex Record Office and ask - if they've got the Essex County Asylum records, they should be able to tell you if there's anything that might be useful, and should also be able to offer advice on the other records apparently stored somewhere inaccessible for health & safety reasons!

[smudwhisk]

ERO have got the Essex County Asylum Records but apparently they're not in good condition.  As for the West Ham Mental Asylum, it became the Goodmayes NHS Hospital and the historical records have not been deposited with any Archives.  This is the problem.  The original a2a listing stated that the records were still held by the hospital but inaccessible for health and safety reasons.  A RCer posted earlier this year that Goodmayes are now claiming they've all been destroyed.  Whether this is true or just a ruse to avoid having to deal with a request because of H&S issues I don't know but there isn't much point asking ERO about them.

The reason I posted and the reason I hesitate asking ERO if they have anything on my ancestor is the fact that I will most certainly have to pay a research fee.  The Essex County Mental Asylum records are not openly accessible.  I have no issue doing this if there is a chance something exists but I just wonder whether any records would have been transferred along with my ancestor in 1901.  I doubt they would check without a fee being paid and it would be a waste of money if my suspicions are correct.

Hence the reason I posted on here to see if anyone knows.

[rebeccachallis123]

Hi there , my 2x great grand mother was a patient  at Hill End asylum she was addmitted in 1901 and died in 1923 there . Are her records apart of this ? her name was Catherine Margaret Fortnum

[LizzieW]

I've found my g.uncle in the records.  The date of admission is correct, but they have his date of death as 1960, when I have the death cert and it's 1964!  He is the only one on the page who wasn't discharged only a few months or so after admission.

[LizzieW]

There are other admissions which might or might not be my g.uncle's brothers but there is no way of knowing.  One of them is definitely my g.uncle's brother because I have his records (fortunately he died in 1902 so the 100 year rule didn't apply to his records).

[coombs]

I have found a few of my rellies in the records as well, and had to do further research as to where in Suffolk the asylum was as it just says Suffolk. The Suffolk one was in Melton near Woodbridge.