Susan Rankin death certificate records that she married Samuel Rankin, Labourer: Died at 9.20am on the 11 March 1915 at Hawkhead Asylum, Paisley. Address at time of death was 80 King Street, Govan, Glasgow The cause of death was recorded as Cerebral haemorrhage one month; Mania Melancholia plus another word I can’t decipher. Was Hawkhead Asylum 1915 in Paisley a hospital for patients with mental disabilities and did Susan die of a mental illness?
http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/welcome.aspxIn the Scottish 1911 census they have had 9 children, 6 children are still alive the youngest was born in 1911. Although she may have had some more children before she died which could have contributed to her death.
Susan’s older sister Matilda a spinster, died of cerebral haemorrhage in 1910 aged 47 at home on the death certificate she was 8 hours certified. Her mother Margaret referred to Matilda in her will of 1899 ‘..that she had to be looked after and allow my daughter Matilda Stewart to live in the house and to have her support clothing ie during her natural life in return of such work she may do. In case she cannot live with him then she is to get an allowance in lieu of her support and she may go and live with any of her sisters or other persons who may see their way to keep her’. This seems to support my theory that Matilda may have had learning disabilities of some kind. There was also a son who committed suicide at 25 in 1877.
I would like to know if Susan had mental problems which would have been compounded by having so many children, she moved to Ireland after her marriage in 1896 to Govan, Scotland and was the youngest child of 9 so would not have had a lot of family support.
I suspect that a large number of people had mental health issues at that time, with poverty, few jobs, the outbreak of war and the number of children that were being born.
Thanks for any information. Angela
