RootsChat.Com
England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Lancashire => Topic started by: Redmoore on Friday 22 September 17 18:23 BST (UK)
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My great grandmother was institutionalised for most of her life. The story in the family was that she never got over her husband’s dying in WW1. I have found that she was already institutionalised before he signed up.
We would like to find out the real reason and wondered if anybody knew if it is possible to get hold of her records. Winwick hospital shut down in the 1980’s so I don’t know if all the residents notes would have been destroyed.
Many thanks
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See County Mental Hospital, Winwick http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=646318.msg4930206#msg4930206
Stan
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Thank you.
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Just a possibility that she was institutionalised after the birth of a child. Post natal depression was considered a mental illness
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I think that this is a big possibility. Her third child born in 1913 was born disabled. She had water on the brain. I would just like to know for sure.
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Does her death certificate mention any ongoing 'illness'
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I don’t have her death certificate. My mum remembers her. She used to be allowed out to visit them. My mum keeps saying that she seemed absolutely fine to her but she had been institutionalised for that long she couldn’t cope with normal Dayton day life.
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If it's less than 100 years since she died, which I assume it probably is if your mum remembers her, you may find the powers that be won't let you have her records even though they exist. I want my g.uncle's records, he was in Prestwich Hospital from 21 January 1907 and died there on 30 June 1964. I've been told I can't have a copy of his records until after 30 June 2064. As I'll be 123 by then I doubt I'll ever see them. I did manage to persuade the archivists in Manchester where the records are now held to let me see the admission page of the records as I said one of my sons had a mental illness and I wondered if it was hereditary - only a small white lie, my son was suffering from acute depression at the time.
So you may get your the admission page of your g.gran's notes.
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I probably have no chance then. My g grandmother only died in 1980. Apart from wanting to know the real reason for her admission I sometimes suffer from depression and did wonder if it was hereditary.
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very similar to me. my grandmother was sectioned very soon after the birth of my father in 1943 she remained there until she died in 1996. I sent off for her death certificate and it stated on that she died of pneumonia and schizophrenia. I also wanted to know due to personality disorder in my family.