Lunatic Asylum in or near Greetham.

[harrygeorge1]

I am on the search for a Lunatic Asylum in or near Grantham 1893. Also possibly the 1891 census with a list of employees. I am looking for Clara French, age unknown, place of birth unknown, the only information I have is a birth certificate of her son James Rowlie (not sure if Rowlie is a middle name or surname) born 18th February 1893 in Greetham. Clara is down as working in a Lunatic Asylum. The informant is Mary Stubbs (present at birth).


Thanks in advance Andrea.

[lidybut]

Was a lunatic asylum in south Rauceby opened in 1897. x

[Jebber]

From the lunacy  act in 1845 each County was to have a Lunatic Asylum, St John's Hospital Lincoln  appears to be the one for Lincolnshire.

[arthurk]

There's some information about mental health treatment on the Lincs to the Past website at

https://www.lincstothepast.com/exhibitions/lincolnshire-asylums-the-treatment-of-mental-health-issues/

It looks from this as though the most likely place in 1893 might have been the Lincolnshire County Lunatic Asylum (later St John's Hospital) at Bracebridge Heath, as Jebber says - see

https://www.lincstothepast.com/exhibitions/lincolnshire-asylums-the-treatment-of-mental-health-issues/st-johns-hospital/

Although it's on the edge of Lincoln nearest Grantham, I wouldn't say it was exactly close.

[emeltom]

I'm presuming that the birth cert you have comes from this GRO ref
James Rowlie French Jun 1893 Oakham 7a 352 mmn not given.

Emeltom

[arthurk]

I'm presuming that the birth cert you have comes from this GRO ref
James Rowlie French Jun 1893 Oakham 7a 352 mmn not given.

If so, then might 'Grantham' be a misreading or mistranscription of Greetham, which is in the Oakham registration district? Grantham has its own district, so a birth there wouldn't be registered in Oakham.

[harrygeorge1]

I'm presuming that the birth cert you have comes from this GRO ref
James Rowlie French Jun 1893 Oakham 7a 352 mmn not given.

Emeltom

It is the right one, and it is Greetham not Grantham, my mistake.

[harrygeorge1]

I'm presuming that the birth cert you have comes from this GRO ref
James Rowlie French Jun 1893 Oakham 7a 352 mmn not given.

If so, then might 'Grantham' be a misreading or mistranscription of Greetham, which is in the Oakham registration district? Grantham has its own district, so a birth there wouldn't be registered in Oakham.

After getting my magnifying glass out, it is Greetham not Grantham, my mistake.

[arthurk]

I've found a couple of lists of mental hospitals, though there don't appear to be any close to Greetham to which she could have commuted on a daily basis. The nearest ones seem to have been the Leicester Borough Asylum and the Leicester and Rutland Asylum. Anyway, have a look at the lists and see what you make of them:

https://www.countyasylums.co.uk/the-asylum-list/

https://historic-hospitals.com/mental-hospitals-in-britain-and-ireland/asylums-in-the-united-kingdom-in-1898/

If she was a single mother, as the birth registration suggests, then it's quite possible that the address in Greetham was the home of her parents or another relative, so in 1891 she could be almost anywhere in the country.