Looking
at previous posts, and the title of this current one, it is apparent that the
terminology surrounding mental illness, and those that suffered from it, has
altered dramatically in the 150 years since Garlands opened. This post shall
explore one fascinating case which highlights just how different this was. My
current research into the patients of the Garlands lunatic Asylum, Carlisle,
part of my wider PhD thesis, has focused on the movement of pauper patients
between different institutions in the initial years of its opening. In the
Garlands first month of opening (January 1862), 146 patients were transferred
directly from nearby asylums and workhouses. The overwhelming majority (121) of
these came from Dunston Lodge private asylum near Gateshead, which was the
official receptacle for Cumberland and Westmorland’s mentally ill population
prior to the opening of their own institution (Garlands in 1862). Whilst
studying this transferal of care, I came across the first Criminal lunatic to
be admitted to Garlands, and her case notes make for interesting reading.
Elizabeth R was among those first 146
patients admitted in January 1862 to the new Garlands Asylum. She was
transferred, along with the majority of the female patients, from Dunston Lodge
on 10 January 1862, where she had resided since 14 June 1861. Prior to her
committal to Dunston, Elizabeth had been sentenced to three months in Carlisle
Gaol for being a ‘disorderly prostitute’, and her occupation was given in her
records as prostitute. On admission to Garlands she was aged 27, described as
being both suicidal and dangerous, listed as suffering from mania, and was in
weak physical health. What is immediately interesting from her admission
records is the cause given for her mental illness: ‘remorse of conscience’. The
theme of immorality is constant throughout Elizabeth’s case record. On
admission she was described as follows: ‘Intelligent face but made impudent by
the use of evil deeds’. This is unsurprising given her stated occupation, but I
doubt she would have disclosed this as her job, rather, it was imposed on her –
further increasing the stigma surrounding her committal – on admission
following her arrest. The remorse she was feeling is indicative of the
desperation of her situation, as she, more than likely, was forced to resort to
prostitution to survive. Further evidence of her depressed mental state is
given by the fact that she was suicidal. Prior to being removed from Carlisle
gaol to Dunston Lodge, she undertook a period of starvation, and due to her
weakened state, her transferal had to be delayed, as the authorities feared that
she would not survive the journey.
Once in Garlands, shortly after
arriving, the following passage was written in Elizabeth’s case notes,
describing her and her behaviour:
‘As bad as she
is mad – one of the worst cases we have to deal with in lunatic asylums. For
the simplest offence as a sharp word from another patient, delay in granting a
request, a slight verbal rebuke for bad conduct, she will go off into the most
violent passions imaginable – screaming, fighting, breaking windows, attacks
upon attendants and patients abuse in the extreme, most threatening in her
language and will sometimes last for 3 or 4 days; when at the climax she
refuses food – lashing at attendants faces, tears up her clothing and bedding.
Doing all the mischief she can conceive of and frequently will keep nothing on
herself…makes constant and determined attempts at self-destruction…the very
great forbearance and kindness which have been shown her by all parties –
everyone has lost all sympathy for her. She is most decidedly (although insane)
to a very great extent responsible for her actions. Her conversation is beastly
and as profane as that of the commonest Haymarket prostitute. Has haemorrhoids
– acne on face – Brown hair, sleepy eyes and has had 2 or 3 children.’
We
gain some understanding of the behaviour described when reading the last
sentence of this entry. The fact that Elizabeth had children, which were
clearly illegitimate, may go some way to explain her suicidal thoughts and
tendencies, and her feelings of remorse. We can assume that she was not in
contact with these children at the time of her admission, as the doctors did
not know for certain how many she had given birth to. It may also have been
likely that her family wouldn’t have been in contact with her, as they would
have disclosed further personal information to the asylum doctors.
Throughout her stay, Elizabeth was
violent, frequently tore up her clothes and broke items in the wards. On
several occasions she was described as feigning illness. For instance, on 24
October 1862, she faked a ‘spasm of the
stomach so well that she deceived all the nurses but one who thought she was
ill indeed. They were much surprised to see her quickly recover under a shower
bath of half a minute’s duration only.’ Also on several occasions she
attempted to take her own life. It was noted on 4 November 1862 that she: ‘Has been secluded all yesterday and today
owing to her extreme state of maniacal excitement, and intense suicidal
propensity – 3 times in my presence attempted to strangle herself – her neck is
marked with the ligature.’ In an incident on 25 July 1863, she demonstrated
how far she was willing to go to attempt to kill herself. After a particularly violent
episode, Elizabeth was removed to a padded room in order to calm her down and
prevent injury to herself or others. However, on a previous occasion in the
room, she had smuggled a pair of scissors in with her and secreted them in
between two of the padded sections of the wall. Luckily, an attendant spotted
her recovering them from her hiding place, and could intervene before she was
successful.
Elizabeth continued to flit
intermittently between behaving well, and behaving in a violent, disruptive,
unpleasant manner. During her calmer periods, it was noted that she was able to
work well in the asylum laundry, and even assisted with the care of a child who
had been a patient in the asylum since 1863, admitted when he was only 4 years
old. Having been given this responsible role, it seems that she began to see
some purpose in living, as the suicide attempts diminished. However, her
illness did still continue, as her violent outbursts were still documented in
her notes, but were far fewer than before. Elizabeth remained in Garlands until
February 1873, when she was discharged recovered. This would have been
relatively rare, as the chance of a patient recovering considerably lowered if
they had been resident in an asylum for longer than two years – with the
majority of recoveries taking place within one year.
Thank
you for taking the time to read this snippet from my research conducted on the
Garlands Lunatic Asylum, which forms the basis of the PhD thesis I am currently
working on. My aim is to write the history of such a fascinating institution
through the experience of its pauper patients. If you have any stories relating
to the asylum, or would like help in tracing your ancestors that were in this
particular institution, please don’t hesitate to contact me
at caradobbing@gmail.com
