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Voices from the Asylum: West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum
£10.30£15.20 (-32%)
Almost forgotten by time, tucked away beyond the sight of the passerby, there is a little piece of old England, which was for many years a forgotten wilderness. If it were not for a weather-beaten plaque on the gatepost few would realise that beyond the rusted gates there lies, in unmarked paupers’ graves, 2,861 former patients of the once formidable Menston Asylum. To be admitted to a lunatic asylum in the nineteenth century was fraught with danger, and in many cases meant a life sentence hidden away from society. It is estimated as many as 30 per cent of the asylum population was incarcerated incorrectly and up until 1959 there was no form of appeal. Looking into the faces of the long dead, the forgotten former inmates of this once bustling institution, it is impossible not to feel a certain sadness at their plight. Abandoned by an intolerant society and their families these people all had one thing in common, when death came there was no one to shed a tear or collect their remains. They were given a pauper’s funeral and forgotten, until now.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Amberley Publishing, First Edition (15 Sept. 2013) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 96 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1445621738 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1445621739 |
| Dimensions | 16.51 x 0.76 x 23.39 cm |
by Richard G.
Reality hurts.
by linda muir
Price fairly steep for a book of photographs not much reading within book. Enjoyed book but would’ve preferred more information within book.
by Mrs S E Lock
This was a very enlightening book – very sad that people were institutionalised without treatment and very few were able to leave.
by jan
this is an interesting book on the life of the many inmates of Menston asylum over the years whilst it was still open
as a child I was taken there to visit my grandmother who spent time there as an inmate and to read the individual
stories of people who ended up there sometimes I think because of a hard life with no one to claim them at the end
of their life is very sad and moving,
I feel compelled to visit the grave yard and chapel which is nearby to the old site which is now full of new housing
and I often walk my sons dog around the area but my thoughts drift back to the past and all the times we visited
as a child it was a scary place and I feel the vibes of the place even now,
So the book gives an understanding of the institution and its background
by Sharon Goodall
Very interesting to look into the lives of these people.
by Sasha Bell
Yet another book that blows the cover off our more ‘educated’ assumptions regarding the Hammer Horror versions of what life was like in Victorian asylums. When these places were newly built and the first clents were entering through the doors, they were magnificent, well made, fresh painted and well organised places of sanctuary for the poor individuals to find rest, peace, structured work for those that could, entertainment with annual dances, and even sports matches between clients and staff. We are introduced to various individuals in this book, told the reasons why they found themselves in the asylum, but instead of seeing them as ‘whats wrong with you’ after reading their accounts we are able to see them as ‘whats happened to you’ . As we should see people today with mental health issues who find theselves at the mercy of the ‘care in the community’ brigade.
by Bob Syson
You open each page, you see a forlorn figure, usually looking away from the camera lens. They all sit in quiet absolution as you read who they are, why they reside in the Asylum and you question every single decision that was made to keep them there. Often incredibly sad and moving, a memoir of lives shut away, captured and bridled. Unique.
by Sarah
I think I expected to hear from the people themselves perhaps in the way of letters or what they had said to others. It’s more like the medical superintendant’s Letter Book, though, with records of what these poor people were in for and how they appeared. However, it was interesting in that regard alone, and a good document. Well presented and of course, ultimately very sad.