Carstairs House

[RJ_Paton]

Spme good photographs here
http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/st-charles-private-hospital-lanarkshire-july-2010.t52008

[caroclay]

Thank you for the link to pics they are great looks like it was someplace, I still am unsure about the reason the would be there, would a child have been sent there if he had downs etc, he was my grandfathers brother and until I came across his death certificate no one ever knew about him he was not spoke of at all in family they are such a strange lot x

[RJ_Paton]

Downs Syndrome is one possibility although there could be others - e.g. Autism.

As for not talking about him or the place, that I think was very much a generational thing - even today mental health issues are often considered "taboo".

[caroclay]

Thanks glad you think its a generation thing i thought it was just my lot that didnt talk about stuff, we found out my grandfather had sister through a neighbour then on search tree discovered another 7 siblings that had all passed and we knew nothing of as not spoke of not even by his living siblings i put it down to them being a strange bunch

[youngchips]

Hi Carolyn
During my time in Scotland (Newmains). Carstairs Hospital was known to be for the mentally unstable. All my life 1962 till I left in 1986 it had siren to alert surrounding area if someone escaped. As I found out in later years when they were changing how they viewed mental issues not all who had been confined there were of any danger to society. There were however a number of dangerous people housed there, but my experience, and I did have to go there in my early years working. was that there was a small majority of dangerous and a vast majority that we now would easily integrate in to normal community. I do have two brothers in Scotland that at that time without family support could have been targeted for that kind of institution. Sometimes it was an easy way out for doctor/community/family to unload burden to the state. Not always fair but easy for some.

[mirrin]

 Carstairs Peniteniary (prison) for the criminally insane is nearby.  It has a siren that can go off if someone escapes and it is tested once every month.  This bulding is also known as Carstairs Hospital and is quite separate from Monteith House which was run by the nuns and later a nursing home.

[mirrin]

Carstairs Peniteniary (prison) for the criminally insane is nearby.  It has a siren that can go off if someone escapes and it is tested once every month.  This bulding is also known as Carstairs Hospital and is quite separate from Monteith House which was run as a hospital by the nuns and later became a nursing home.

[A.Williams]

Hello Caroline,
My family moved there about 1946 and my father worked as the gardener.  He was really a tailor by trade and used to make the boys' trousers in the winter. There was a mixture of children there, some with mental health problems, some disabled, downs syndrome, some orphans and one blind lady.  There was one lad who had shell shock from the Clyde bank bombings.  In addition to that
there were a few children who were sent there from the courts in Glasgow. When they were about 15 some of the lads worked on the farm.  Others who could went back to their families.
The walled garden provided all the vegetables for the big house and the butcher came once a week
and killed an animal or two for the meat.  Monteith House ( St. Charles Institution) is not to be
confused with the penitentiary which was a few miles away.  Hope this helps.  My family name was
Horsfield. It was a wonderful place to be brought up but very cold in the winter and a long way from
school at St. Mary's Lanark.

[Guillermo]

Hi Caroline, my family name is Gilmour, born 1944, and lived at a house on the farm of St Charles Institution.
My father worked on this farm with Peter Cameron under direction of Father Mc Kaysic( spelling dubious).
On many occasions I played on the front lawn with the inmates of st Charles, they were a mixture of unfortunate, homeless, school dodgers, young petty thieves, downes syndrome children, they were NOT mentally retarded,
The inmates worked on the farm and were paid by my father, Richard Gilmour, three cigarettes or one bar of toffee a day, all of which was kept in our house.
Yes butcher came every Sunday to kill three sheep at farm slaughter house, this along with churns of milk went to institution, skimmed milk Returned for the pigs. And butter for institution.
I remember the name Mr Horsefield, there was a very large walled vege garden to back of house.
As for siren, there wasn't one at St Charles that was the penitentiary.
People did run away from the institution, my father was the person who would go looking for them, no police involved in my recollection, the penalty for running away was to have your head shaved.
they were very unfortunate kids, due to circumstances outwith their control, we had great fun times together, I can tell you much much more, Bill.