Wells Lunatic Asylum

[Rhodie]

Hi, am I right in thinking the burial ground for the inmates of the Wells Lunatic Asylum (Old Mendip Hospital Cemetery), had their burial registers thrown away and the grave markings pulled up?  I have tried to get in touch with the charity Friends of Mendip Hospital Cemetery whom I believe now own it (not responsible for the above actions), but without success.  Does any member have knowledge of this?

[bicker]

Hi there

I know this post was some time ago and I wonder if you ever had a reply? The following information was in a copy of The Greenwood Tree, mag for the Somerset and Dorset FHS written by Catheryn Wright. The transcrips of burial records which started in the Mendip Hosptal Cemetary with the first burial 15 May 1874 are located at the Research Centre at Sherbourne and another copy at the Somerset Records Office at Taunton.

In Nov 2010, the address of the Chairman of the Friends of Mendip Hospital was Mr Tony Everard, 42 Kings Castle Road, Wells. Somerset. BA5 3LT. In her artical Catheryn says that only around 16 graves are commemorated with headstones, many more had been marked with iron markers which had been removed making it dificult to locate the exact spot any person is buried.

Heather

[Rhodie]

Hi thanks for this.  I did find a web site which mentioned there were a few headstones and that the markers had been ripped out and thrown away along with the registers.  I since found out Somerset had some records but didn't know of Sherborne.  Thanks.

[Chris_sh]

Hi, I know this post is quite old now but I thought I'd mention that I have just contacted the Friends of Mendip Hospital asking if they had details of an ancestor and got an answer back within 24 hours, the reply included details of when the burial took place and the plot location.  As previously mentioned, the actually markers were removed some time back but at least it is possible to find the area within the cemetery.

Contact details are at http://www.mendiphospitalcemetery.org.uk/ (see contacts page), they are very helpful.

[iolaus]

Thank you for mentioning the mendip hospital cemetary, my ancestor died in Wells Asylum but before this cemetery opened but I figured I'd email them as you said they were helpful - and nothing ventured nothing gained

I emailed them at 12.43 today
They replied at 17.32

Giving me the date he was admitted and died (I already knew them but still very generous and SO QUICK) and this info 'This was some time before our cemetery was opened in 1874 and prior to this date most burials from the Asylum took place at Wells Cemetery. Confusingly, all the burials from the Asylum pre 1874 were recorded in the burial registers of East Horrington church (the nearest graveyard to the Asylum) and the funerals were  conducted by the Asylum Chaplain (who was usually priest in charge at Horrington), but all interments after December 1854 certainly took place in Wells Cemetery.'

I had found the burial record but assumed he was buried in East Horrington

They also told me where to find other records on him - are held at the Somerset Archive at Taunton. The records you need will be:

1) The Deceased Patients Register for 1859. This will contain a lot of personal information relating to Samuel, being the actual committal form containing details of age, occupation, address, next of kin etc., plus a medical certificate with details of the illness. The link to this on the Somerset Archive is

http://somerset-cat.swheritage.org.uk/records/D/H/men/24/11

THEN

at 18.28 replied saying they forgot to give me the burial date - sending a copy of the burial record - and information on who conducted the service and some of his miltary history (he was Polish)

How helpful and nice are they!

[jusnoneed]

If you use facebook Mendip Hospital Cemetery has it's own page, chat/maps/photo's etc on there.

[Andrew RM Hayes]

You may like to investigate what records the Somerset Record Office holds for the Wells Asylum. A cousin of mine was admitted in 1864 and they had quite detailed records on his rather short residence prior to his death from pneumonia - including a full autopsy report!