Bibliograph

Tracing your ancestors in lunatic asylums, a guide for family historians, Michelle Higgs

Type

Label

Tracing your ancestors in lunatic asylums, a guide for family historians, Michelle Higgs

Language

eng

Index

no index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Tracing your ancestors in lunatic asylums

Medium

electronic resource

Nature of contents

dictionaries

Responsibility statement

Michelle Higgs

Series statement

Tracing your ancestors

Sub title

a guide for family historians

Summary

A concise handbook for genealogical research into patients of British mental institutions from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. An expert in British Victorian history, Michelle Higgs helps readers uncover information about relatives whose lives are too often forgotten. Higgs concentrates on the period from the eighteenth century to 1948 when the National Health Service was founded. Using original records, contemporary accounts, photographs, illustrations and case studies of real individuals, Higgs brings the story of the asylums and their patients to life. Different types of institution are covered, including private madhouses, county lunatic asylums, facilities for idiots and imbeciles, and military mental hospitals. Chapters look at the admission procedures and daily routine of patients, plus different kinds of mental illness and how they were treated. Separate sections discuss the systems in Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales. Information is provided on all the relevant sources, from wills and the census to casebooks and admission and discharge registers

Target audience

adult

Classification