William Francis Gleed (1786-1851) - from excise officer to lunatic asylum?

[Rachael89]

Hi all,

I've been digging into a branch of my family called the Gleeds, and they have proven to be particularly interesting. I'm especially intrigued by one character called William Francis Gleed (1786-1851) - he was an excise officer, which (as far as I understand) was a kind of tax collector. W. F. Gleed came from Tonbridge in Kent, but travelled around a lot (I assume because of his job) before ending up in Staffordshire. In the 1841 census (under W F Gloede) he was living with his family in Tipton, and was still working as an excise officer. In the 1851 census, however, he is listed as being a "Nurse inmate" in a lunatic asylum! He died in the same year, and the record concerned gives the name of the asylum as Sandfield Asylum in Lichfield.

This is a long shot, but would anyone know of any means of discovering what might have happened to him within those 10 years to end up with him living in an asylum? I can see that there are some records available on excise officers, but I haven't been able to find my W. F. Gleed - however, I expect I may be being thwarted by the variations in how the surname is spelt.

Also, does anyone know what a "nurse inmate" would be? It's very odd phrasing and I have no idea why an old man would be serving as any sort of nurse in a lunatic asylum!

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Jomot]

The copy I'm looking at isn't the clearest, but I think it says Insane Inmate, not Nurse Inmate, although the occupation of the first three people on the page is Keeper of Insane Persons whereas everyone else seems to have a profession/former profession.  I can't quite make out the first word, but William's occupation is Retired? Exciseman

Added: I see he's also listed as FW Gleed, and there is a death later the same year for Francis William Gleed, which I assume is him, although the age is given as 66 whereas he's 69 on the census.  Obtaining a copy of the certificate may tell you more.

[mckha489]

http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/library/browse/details.xhtml?recordId=3099484&recordType=Journal

this may be is the same article
http://www.archives.staffordshire.gov.uk/CalmView/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=WE11%2f10%2f5&pos=19

it seems it was a privately run asylum although the quarter sessions appointed visitors.  I can't see that the records have been deposited at Starffordshire Archives, but I may be searching incorrectly

http://www.archives.staffordshire.gov.uk/CalmView/Overview.aspx?s=asylum

[Jomot]

He was admitted 10 Feb 1847 & died 3 Dec 1851, but I can’t make out the cause of death.

[mckha489]

Erysipelas

It's an acute infection (what is waiting for us when antibiotics no longer work)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erysipelas

[Jomot]

Sounds nasty!  Perhaps it was as a result of his stay - although a few years after his death, there are some newspaper articles in 1856 referring to the report of the lunacy commissioners in which Sandfield Asylum is described as 'disgustingly bad'.

[Willow 4873]

On FreeREG

burial 6.12.1851 at St Michaels, Lichfield William Francis Gleed aged 66 residence given as Sandfield Asylum

Willow x

[Jomot]

Deleted - wrong thread!

[Willow 4873]

Confused