OUTSIDE THE ASYLUM

Can you help George Marshall Medical Museum with a spot of family history research to find out about some people who were admitted to the Worcester City and County Lunatic Asylum in the 19th century?

Our aim is to share more patients’ stories, and to find out about their lives before admission and (where possible) after discharge.

sarah lane morris

find out more about sarah morris

Sarah Lane Curnock was born in Bishampton, Worcestershire, to John and Harriet Cumnock. She was baptised on 5 November 1837, so it is likely that she was born at the end of October. A search for the 1841 census has failed to find the family, but in 1851 they were still living in Bishampton. On this census return, the surname has been indexed as Carnock, but there is again no trace of them in 1861, under all possible spellings of the surname.

In 1871, Sarah was working as a housemaid in the employ of John Haviland, rector of Fladbury. Oddly, her age on this census return is given as 30, rather than 33, as it should have been.

On 8 January 1873, Sarah married John Morris, a farmer, in the parish church in Fladbury. Both are described as of ‘full age’; Sarah would have been 35, rather a late age for marriage at that time. John’s father’s name is given as George and his occupation as Shoemaker, but a search for John’s birth using his father’s name and occupation have failed to find anyone of that name.

In the 1851 census, John is living in Wyre Piddle with his widowed mother, Selina, whose occupation is given as Shoebinder. John is listed as an Agricultural Labourer. His age is given as 16, so he would have been born between April 1834 and April 1835. In 1861, John and Selina, both listed a gardeners, were still living in Wyre Piddle. His age on this return is given as 23, but in the next census, it is 34. Both John and Selina were still working as gardeners in Wyre Piddle.

In the censuses of 1881, 1891 and 1901, Sarah and John were working as market gardeners in Wyre Piddle. There are no children included on any of the census forms. There are some inconsistencies in these three censuses. In 1881, Sarah is given the middle name of Jane and her age is given as 41, while John’s age is 43. Ten years later, Sarah has the middle initial J, John’s age is 55 and his birthplace is Wyre Piddle. In 1901, Sarah’s middle initial is A, her age is 58, and her birthplace is given as Fladbury, while John’s age is given as 64.

These inconsistencies cannot be explained as the result of the census being taken at different dates, as in these three censuses, the information was gathered on dates between the end of March and the first few days of April. Perhaps they were deliberate ‘mistakes’.

Sarah was admitted to the Powick asylum on 17 June 1903, suffering from what sound like delusions, but also seeming to be physically ill. She was described as ‘very strange in her manner’, and as suicidal, and with a cough and lung trouble. Her medical notes make much of her mental condition, but although there are repeated notes on her lung trouble, lack of appetite and insomnia, no medical treatments are noted apart from a draught of Paraldehyde for the insomnia, and brandy and milk as an appetite stimulant.

Over the first nine days of July, Sarah’s condition went from ‘unsatisfactory’ to ‘critical’ to ‘precarious’ until pneumonia was diagnosed on 10 July. Apart from the brandy and milk, there is no mention of any medical treatment to combat the disease. Her condition continued to worsen until on 15 July there is the bald statement ‘Died today at 2.20 pm.’

One cannot of course, judge past medical treatments from today’s standards, but reading Sarah’s medical notes gives one the uncomfortable feeling that little consideration was given to the possibility that her mental condition might have been the outcome of her physical condition. Perhaps she would have been better off is she had been sent to a normal hospital instead of to a mental institution.

To view Joseph’s patient records, click here.

Go back to find out about more people who were patients at the asylum.

Research by Cathy Broad, 2024