Ancestry Lunacy Patients Asylum Admissions - no records after 1912

[melba_schmelba]

It seems Ancestry's title for their dataset, and the source information below, is wrong. The Commissioners in Lunacy was replaced in 1913 by the Board of Control for Lunacy and Mental Deficiency, and it appears only the admissions under the old Commissioners of Lunacy up to 1912 are actually included in Ancestry's dataset. I assume Ancestry in fact have no data on Asylum/Mental Hospital admissions from 1913-21 or afterwards.

Ancestry.com. UK, Lunacy Patients Admission Registers, 1846-1921 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.
Original data: Commissioners in Lunacy, 1845–1921. Lunacy Patients Admission Registers, Series MH 94. The National Archives, Kew, England.
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/9051/

This page confirms the Commissioners merged into the Board of Control in 1913
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/F260716

This is the National Archives parent category that includes all the old Commissioners and later Board of Control records
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/browse/r/h/C621

Admissions records can be browsed here (none by name, just by volume), but none after 1912 have been indexed or digitized online so would need to be consulted at the National Archives
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/browse/r/h/C21184/cfirst

[KitCarson]

That's interesting Melba,

Thanks for posting.

Kit

[melba_schmelba]

That's interesting Melba,

Thanks for posting.

Kit

I thought it might be useful if people have been rather confused if they find a person in the 1921 census in an asylum/mental hospital, or have found a death certificate up to 1921, and yet couldn't find an admission on the Ancestry indexes. So this explains why! I should note that on the census people in asylums/mental hospitals were more often listed with initials, I think by 1921, first initials and surname, but earlier I think all initials (first name, surname, but sometimes reversed) were sometimes used which makes it difficult to find people - Ancestry's search setting 'exact' seems to be more useful for this. Also I think by 1921, and perhaps 1911 exact birthplaces were usually given, but earlier often nothing was put.
 If anyone wants to check my methodology - go to the search page and put in 1912 in the Institution Place - Year box, click exact, it gives 22,876 results, 1911 gives 23,777, 1910 21,458. If you put in 1913, 1914, 1915 etc. up to 1921, no results !

[melba_schmelba]

The National Archives help page on Asylums, lists the Ancestry dataset as
"Patients’ admission registers (1846-1912)"
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/mental-health/

So it looks to be a titling mistake on Ancestry's part. The National Archives page also lists:

Criminal lunacy warrant and entry books (1882-1898)
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=9162
Search the criminal lunacy warrant and entry books by name at Ancestry.co.uk (charges apply). These cover criminals who were confined at asylums after being certified at court, or after imprisonment, as being insane (HO 145/1-9).

Criminal lunatic asylum registers (1800-1843)
Search criminal lunatic asylum registers by name at Ancestry.co.uk (charges apply). These include Bethlem Hospital registers 1823-1843 and registers from county and metropolitan lunatic asylums 1800-1839 (HO 20).

Ancestry's date ranger differs to what the National Archives state
England, Criminal Lunatic Asylum Registers, 1820-1876
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/9163/

Findmypast also has the following
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/search/historical-records?region=united-kingdom&keywords=mental&page=1&order_direction=desc&order_by=relevance

Scotland, Mental Health Institutions Registers & Admissions   94,722   
Wiltshire Asylum Registers, 1789-1921   27,761   
Prestwich Asylum Admissions 1851-1901   22,722   
Yorkshire, Sheffield, Asylum & Hospital Admissions & Subscriptions 1748-1937   19,103   
South Yorkshire Asylum, Admission Records   17,368   
Kent, Bexley Asylum Minute Books, 1901-1939   11,752   
Scotland Mental Health Institutions Registers & Admissions 1808-1883   63,313   
British Armed Forces, First World War Disability & Retirement Payments For Officers & Nurses   36,239   
London, Asylum For The Deaf & Dumb Pupils 1792-1859   899   
London, Bethlem Hospital Patient Admission Registers and Casebooks 1683-1932   247,517   
London, Bethlem Hospital Patient Admission Registers and Casebooks 1683-1932  129,898   

[jonw65]

This dataset on ancestry was always dated to 1912, and has often been cited on rootschat

UK, Lunacy Patients Admission Registers, 1846-1912, on ancestry.

But it was "updated" on 17/10/2022, presumably the title was changed then

I do remember doing a search after the update, I can't remember now if any new records showed after 1912. If there were any they have been removed.

[melba_schmelba]

This dataset on ancestry was always dated to 1912, and has often been cited on rootschat

UK, Lunacy Patients Admission Registers, 1846-1912, on ancestry.

But it was "updated" on 17/10/2022, presumably the title was changed then

I do remember doing a search after the update, I can't remember now if any new records showed after 1912. If there were any they have been removed.

That's strange jon, perhaps they meant to add more records but actually didn't, wouldn't be surprised !.

[jonw65]

Hi
Yes, ancestry sure do some strange things!
It is annoying if the dates given for databases don't actually match the contents.
Jon

[Archivos]

If you're looking for people in Scotland, there's a site called Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com) which has a searchable database of people admitted to asylums in Scotland. I'm not sure how it compares to the information on Ancestry, as I don't know how many Scottish lunacy records are available on there.