Lancaster Lunatic Asylum

[lancsann]

Lancaster Moor records are listed in Lancat. Not sure if a catalogue search online by name would help you.

from Lancat
Lancaster Moor Hospital - 1826-1954
 4 - Patient records

[Pennines]

Thank you lancsann.
I hadn't found that. I had searched by the individual's name and by Lancaster Asylum - but no patients records  showed up.

So it looks like it WAS Lancaster Moor, as Rosie had first thought. This extract from the Archives is really interesting;

"Background information
   Lancaster Moor Hospital was Lancashire's first County Lunatic Asylum. The decision to build it was taken in 1809, one year after the permissive County Asylums Act, 1808. The hospital opened in 1816 as the "County Lunatic Asylum for the County Palatine of Lancaster". It was only the fourth asylum to be built under the terms of the Act in the country. It was extended in 1824 and 1883, and by 1891 it accommodated 1833 patients. In that year its administration was transferred to the new Lancashire Asylums Board of Lancashire County Council. Additional buildings, known as Ridge Lea, on the "villa" principle were added in 1907, 1909, 1912, 1916 and 1938. These buildings were chiefly to accommodate private patients."

By coincidence it mentions the year 1891 - this was the year the person I am seeking was admitted.

So it had been in existence since 1816!!

[clayton bradley]

One of my Broadley relatives from Clayton le Moors died there in 1826 and I found this in Baines's Lancashire vol 2 p. 17  The Asylum was opened in 1816 and the description is glowing. Hot and cold baths, stoves for warmth, galleries for walking if the weather is bad, but the crowning point "in the medical practice..every patient is treated as the peculiarity of his or her own case may require".

[lancsann]

Interesting information Pennines.

I have lived in Lancashire all my life and have always known it as Lancaster Moor.

[Pennines]

claytonbradley -- my goodness, that description sounds as though it could be for a hotel!! Hot and cold baths etc. in 1816. Brilliant.

Lancsann ---It was simply that on the 'UK Lunacy Patients Admissions' register on Ancestry - my person was simply shown as being admitted to Lancaster.

I also have lived in Lancashire all my life - but in all honesty, I have never heard of Lancaster Moor!

Every day's a school day!!

Thank you everyone for your interest and help.
 
(Just as an aside - I went to a talk at Lancashire Archives some years ago now on the subject of Asylums or similar.

There were named photographs on display of patients admitted to Whittingham Asylum. One of my Great Grandfather's had been admitted (and died) in there. Naturally I looked at all the photos - and don't know whether I was relieved or disappointed that there wasn't one of him!)

[lancsann]

Maybe I knew it because a friend had a relative in there. Don’t know why he was in there as Whittingham was possibly closer pre M6 days.

[Pennines]

Maybe Whittingham wasn't open when your friend's relative went to Lancaster.

I just checked - Whittingham was opened on 1st April 1873 (I can't resist saying 'How Apt for an Asylum to be opened on April Fool's Day!!) --- it closed in 1973.

[lancsann]

Yes Whittingham has been closed since 1995 and has been a housing estate for quite some time. Been passed it many times on my way home from Clitheroe.

[Gillg]

You probably know this, but Lancaster Moor Hospital became a general hospital in the 1990s following the Care in the Community policy, and then closed completely in 2000.  It has now been converted into flats.  The Royal Albert I mentioned earlier also closed because of C in C  and is now an Islamic school for girls (Taliban take note!).  I think all large hospitals of this type were affected by this policy.  They were dreadful and frightening places to visit and in some cases just places where people were locked up away from the community.