Stirling District Lunacy Board 1890-1907 UNESCO Memory of the World Register.

[davy.campbell]

Hello i have a very old hand written ledger entitled Stirling District Lunacy Board MINUTE BOOK OF VISITING COMMITTEE...( IN LARBERT STIRLINGSHIRE SCOTLAND) .its starts march 1890, and runs to June 1907. It details everything that was discussed about the asylum, this book has only ever been read by a select few, it makes fasinating reading. The asylum has just been recognised by UNESCO as being of outstanding historical importance. Perhaps if you have a question about the asylum, i may be able to help. Thanks.

[davy.campbell]

Asylum Orchestra. Dr.Macpherson intimates that there was now an orchestra in the asylum for the purpose of supplying music at the weekly dances and balls for the patients during the winter months. Up till the present the music had been supplied by Francis Binnie, Stenhousemuir, who for the past year, along with James Clarke, cornet player, had assisted the asylum orchestra. It was now the desire of the members of the asylum band that no outsiders be asked to help them. It was agreed to give Binnie notice that his services would no longer be required. In respect of his long connection with the asylum a bonus of £5 was agreed to be paid to Binnie on his retiring.

[davy.campbell]

Another Extract from The Minute book of visiting committee....Case of John Sneddon  (22nd March 1900).....Dr. Robertson reported the accidental death of John Sneddon. This patient had been for many years on full parole and worked on the farm. On the 31st January he left the asylum and every endeavour was made to find him but without success. No danger to himself or others was antisapated as he was a quiet and fairly sensible patient. On the 10th of feb his body was found in the neighbouring wood lying on the ground with an empty bottle within reach. Dr. Fraser of Falkirk who performed the post mortem examination was of opinion that the patient was emancipated. It is believed that the patient must have become intoxicated and died from exposure. A full report of all the facts was sent to the general board of lunacy who were quite satisfied with it, and consider that no blame attaches to any one. It was an accident that is unfortunately possible with the system of giving patients their liberty.

[davy.campbell]

Extract from Minute book. 20th April 1905. SMALLPOX.  It was agreed to pay £20 to the assitant medical officers and clinical assistants for special professional l services in connection with the vaccination of the patients, staff and families of officials at the time of the outbreak of smallpox.

[Seoras]

Now that sounds like a book I would like to see Davy. My great great grandmother died in Larbert in 1903.

[davy.campbell]

Extract Stirling District Lunacy Board, 17th september 1903.  ...Claim by Wm. Bullions.  W.Black submitted analyis by Wm. Wilson an example of water taken from Kersbrock?  stream and the Mill of Kinnaird stream he also reported regarding the death of certain calves belonging to Wm Bullions and the illness of others. Under the agreement permitting the asylum authorities to discharge their sewage into the stream at Kersbrock? it was stipulated that any claims for damage at the instances of Wm Bullions were to be submitted to W Aitkenhead as arbitor. W Black stated that he was in communication with W. Aitkenhead on this subject.

[aelfric]

Is there any mention of George William Kirton?  He was only briefly at Larbert from March or April 1894 before being transferred to the Insane Ward at Sunderland Union Workhouse in early May.

[josey]

This sounds a marvellous resource. You are doing a marvellous job in transcribing sections. Do you have any plans to digitise it - perhaps just photograph the pages for preservation then also others can browse and/or help you transcribe? I am sure the local history society would be delighted to have a copy of the images on CD.

Josey

[davy.campbell]

Hello Josey, thanks i intend to give the book to stirling university archives, all the pages are all in beautiful long hand, in fact so beautiful i cant make them out, hence a lot of spelling mistakes!...I actually cleared all, or most of the furnishings out the hospital a number of years ago. Some parts had never been renovated and remained the same since it opened in the 1800s, pretty scary to say the least...Will continue to add some extracts, bye!.