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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => West Lothian (Linlithgowshire) => Topic started by: 1on4 on Sunday 01 October 17 20:28 BST (UK)
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I'm wondering if somebody better informed than I can confirm whether Bellsdyke was only a mental institute in 1938, or had it become a general hospital by then?
To cut a very long story short, a relative of mine has 'Bellsdyke, near Larbert' as his place of birth. There is no father on the certificate and his mother had been a widow 12 years by the time he was born (age 38). We had never been able to find his mothers death entry (I was looking for Catherine Ward) but we now know she died under a different name (Katie Cumming) and we have foujd her death in 1977. Extensive research has failed to find a marriage between her and Mr Cumming.
So is it possible that she was an inpatient in Bellsdyke and had an illegitimate baby there? Is that why the informatiom is so vague on his death entry.
Still learning about family history, especially as we didn't know that a huge part of the family existed until recently so have no family knowledge to help.
Thanks, Iona
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On this forum http://www.talkingscot.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17979
it says "Bellsdyke Hospital, Larbert, was set up in September 1865 as Stirling District Lunacy Asylum and the first patients arrived in June 1869. In the 1930s it was known as Stirling District Mental Hospital and in 1960 the name Bellsdyke Hospital was adopted."
This site gives some general information about mental hospitals in Scotland. It says " The hospital was transferred to the National Health Service in 1948 and continued to function as a large mental hospital, latterly administered by Lanarkshire Health Board. [Sources: Francis H. Groome, Ordnance Gazetteer – Scotland, Edinburgh, 1892]"
https://historic-hospitals.com/mental-hospitals-in-britain-and-ireland/mental-hospitals-in-scotland/
This site tell you where the surviving patient records are held
http://www.falkirkcommunitytrust.org/heritage/family-history/docs/Medical_records_for_family_history.pdf
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Many thanks. I had already found some of that information but not that the 'Bellsdyke' name was only adopted in the 1960's.
I assume then that the child was born somewhere in Bellsdyke it's self - is it a large area? My geographical knowledge is shoddy at best!
There are some huge gaps around this one woman that we just can't fill in. Her first husband (and the father of her eldest 2 children) apparently died in America in 1924 - atleast that's what it says on the birth certificate of her illegitimate child. I can find no trace of him anywhere in Scotland, on any travel records to America or in any mining accidents (his profession).
We know nothing of the father of the child or the child himself and he only died in 2015. Nor can be fathom why she died as Katie Cumming despite never apparently marrying again.
Ahhhh!
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This may help
familysearch.com https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Larbert,_Stirlingshire,_Scotland_Genealogy
Also this http://libguides.stir.ac.uk/archives/SDA You could try getting in touch to see if there is a record for the person you are researching.
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See http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15&lat=56.0433&lon=-3.7898&layers=10&b=1 - the hospital is at lower left and Bellsdyke Cottage, North Bellsdyke and South Bellsdyke are on the right.
This is in Stirlingshire, by the way, not in West Lothian. In which registration district was the birth registered?
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Another surname for Katie Cumming;
MCMANUS KATIE 76
OWENS
1977
738/ 468 George Square
Annie
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Another surname for Katie Cumming;
MCMANUS KATIE 76
OWENS
1977
738/ 468 George Square
Annie
Yes that's her. We've found that entry before. She was born McManus then married a Ward but suddenly becomes a Cumming.
Thank to all for the help. Much appreciated