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Messages - MidwinterSun

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1
Surrey / Re: Wandsworth Asylum / Springfield
« on: Monday 24 January 22 10:28 GMT (UK)  »
Hi
Annie Woodcock is on the electoral registers at 5 Richards Cottages, Acton, 1918-22, bot not thereafter.
However, looking at the 1921 census free index, she doesn't appear to be there with James and the rest of the Woodcock family.
She might be Annie Woodcock, born 1869, birth place Not Known, parish Wandsworth Borough, Reg. Dist. Wandsworth.

The LMA catalogue has been known to go down for short periods, weekends can be dodgy, should be up again before long. You can then check for the Springfield records.
The local poor law union would be Brentford, unfortunately not too many records survive, and I can't see anything relevant online.

Yaay, thanks Jon - really helpful about the 1921 census, as setting aside a visit elsewhere that does help date her admission, and an admission date of about 1918-early 1920s would fit with the family narrative about the presumed reasons for what's thought to have been a nervous breakdown.
Richards Cottages is right; Annie was born in Furneux Pelham in Hertfordshire around 1870 but she and other siblings found work in London.

Annie's admission was a source of sadness or regret for the family - not what's often assumed about a male relative wanting to be rid of a troublesome woman. I was told they simply couldn't cope with her at home. I've often wondered whether she recovered while she was in Springfield - it seems unlikely that she'd have lived to 77 with serious illness or without being relatively well looked after. Regular visits by family members don't seem to have been the done thing in those days.

I'll have another look at the LMA cat later!


2
Surrey / Wandsworth Asylum / Springfield
« on: Monday 24 January 22 00:08 GMT (UK)  »
Hi

I read an interesting thread here https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=766694.0 about records for Springfield Asylum, which I believe are held between Surrey Council and the London Metropolitan Archives. However, no luck identifying which records are held at LMA, as their catalogue seems to be down. 

I believe my great grandmother, Annie Woodcock (nee Burgess) was a patient at Springfield. I don't know the date of her admission but she was there until she died, aged 77, in 1947. 

My mum remembers being taken to see her as a child, before WWII, and described "a small woman, very kind". It didn't sound as if she was ill, at that stage. They only visited her once - I guess the War was a factor.

I'm very much hoping to find out when Annie was admitted, what the diagnosis was (suspect just "mania"), and any/all details about her time there, including any medical notes.

I'm prepared to spend some time looking for all this, but - does anyone know if the catalogue has been unavailable long term? 

3
Family History Beginners Board / Re: Asylum Discharge records
« on: Friday 21 January 22 20:01 GMT (UK)  »
Sorry, I can't see them on ancestry. There isn't really any more to them except the names, age, dates of admission and discharge, notes of transfers. etc.
Really helpful, thank you Jon.  We've just realised that there was a Kent connection, which might explain Darenth - at least in part

4
Family History Beginners Board / Re: Asylum Discharge records
« on: Friday 21 January 22 19:38 GMT (UK)  »
Hi
They are different kinds of asylums, hence Winifred not appearing in those lunacy records.
Her records from Paddington's Register of Lunatics and Imbeciles, showing dates of admission/discharge, all two images
Tooting Bec 1909
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-P3NT-6KSF

Darenth 1909
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-L3NT-6KFH

Next register has Winifred still at Darenth, she died 23 May 1915
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-P3NT-6NNJ

I don't see Gertrude in those books.

This is a bit of a learning curve - I'm going to have to get a familysearch account to look at those!  Thank you though, really appreciate your help.

5
Family History Beginners Board / Re: Asylum Discharge records
« on: Friday 21 January 22 19:22 GMT (UK)  »
"Reld" means Relieved (i.e. sufficiently well to return home or to an ordinary hospital).

She didn't go home or to an ordinary hospital, she was moved to Napsbury Asylum on the same day.

Sister Winifred Bigland, age 14, went to Tooting Bec asylum, 24 Aug 1909. Discharged 23 October 1909. Transferred to Darenth.
Winifred was sent from Paddington, but not sure that Gertrude was.

Yes, sorry - Gertrude's record here was from Napsbury records, having been moved from Colney asylum. Prior to this she was in a workhouse/infirmary with a young child, who was still in Ladbroke Grove Infirmary, aged 1, after Gertrude was moved.

Thanks for info on Winifred - we knew she was in Darenth, and that she died there in 1915 aged 19, but not about her being in Tooting Bec first. The family were living in Paddington, and it now looks like Gertrude may have been discharged home or to a family member shortly after their father died.


6
Family History Beginners Board / Re: Asylum Discharge records
« on: Friday 21 January 22 19:09 GMT (UK)  »
Thanks from me too GG, good to add to the knowledge.

Some years ago I was able to look at the asylum records for an ancestor at my local archives, it all made very sad reading. The details of his illness were given, something that would probably have been dealt with these days without the need for admittance, he subsequently died in the asylum. Very sad indeed.

I agree, there are lots of very sad stories.  But we are now beginning to wonder whether Emily was "relieved" - taken home - by a family member.  So maybe luckier than some.

8
Family History Beginners Board / Re: Asylum Discharge records
« on: Friday 21 January 22 18:42 GMT (UK)  »
That's really helpful, thank you Roobarb!   I wondered about something like "not impeded" for "Not Impd" - as in, a patient who wanted to discharge themselves, and wasn't prevented from doing so. But "not impaired" seems likely ... although she'd been in this particular institution for 14 years, and another one before that.

I don't know what the nature of Emily's "illness" really was, although sadly, two girls from this family ended up in asylums after their father remarried. 

9
Family History Beginners Board / Asylum Discharge records
« on: Friday 21 January 22 18:08 GMT (UK)  »
Hi everyone

I'm relatively new to this, so sorry if this topic has been covered elsewhere!  Can anybody help please with what discharge categories "Reld" and "Not Impd", top right, stand for please?  This is in the UK Lunacy Patients Admission Registers for 1846-1912

Thanks - and sorry the image isn't terribly clear; had to reduce it quite a bit.

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