Hello, My gg grandmother, Mary Pearson Dewhurst suffered her first attack of dementia at the age of 30 in 1848. She m. my gg grandfather William Henry Dewhurst in 1840 and he became a London Constable in 1838, retiring in 1855 when my g grand father was age 1. This is confusing as Mary's first bout w/demetia happened right between the birth of her second child but before the births of her 3rd and 4th children. She is not enumerated in 1851 with the family, so I do not know if she was institutionalized then. The first info I have is 1854, when she was institutionalized at Surrey Lunatic Asylum. I know she went to Cane Hill Asylum in 1890 and died in 1993. She also spent time at Springfield Asylum, but died back at Cane Hill....
A wonderful volunteer helped me find some info a few years ago, but what was sent was lost in a computer crash abt 2000. I can offer this info: "Records for Springfield Hospital, Wandsworth, held at the London Metro Archives show the following entry in the index to medical case books (female) c1878-c1938 (ref 6367/1/16): Mary Dewhurst, patient no. 1394, discharged 29 February 1884." Her Medical Certificate is recorded in "Female Case Book 15 ref: 3043/5/9/2/21 page 1" (I do not know which particular record book this is from (sigh) states: "From incoherence of replies, laughing immoderately and indication of countenance of insanity. Refuses food and has before been under confinement. Mary Dewhurst has been Ramble in conversation and has very little memory. Feeble health and rather thin condition. Has an old injury to leg and is confined to chair."
I have 2 general questions, plus a look-up request.
1) does anyone know if conjugal visits allowed at Asylums?
2) are there records of visitations from family members?
I live in California (sigh) and will happily trade look ups. If any kind soul would be willing to check the Croydon Archives or the London Metro Archives or the Surrey History Centre for whatever records exist between 1848 - 1893 to fill out Mary's story, I would be eternally grateful!
