Notes on David Ritchie's admission to the London County Asylum

The set of documents provided by Judy Lester relating to my great-grandfather's entry into the asylum at Hanwell are very illuminating. In this post, i will summarise the statements and facts which I find most interesting, omitting the parts relating to administrative procedure which don't really add to the story.

The original documents are held at the London Metropolitan Archives and form part of the collection from the St Marylebone Board of Guardians. They can be accessed online via Ancestry.com.

The first is an extract from the register of the Marylebone workhouse, dated 30 May 1909. It shows that David Richie entered the workhouse but the handwriting is so illegible that nothing can be gleaned from it. All I can say is that the information gathered relates to his age, religious persuasion, names of informant, from whence admitted, name of relieving officer, where sent in the house, date of admission and date of discharge.

The second document is the doctor's certificate I shared in my previous post. This is dated 1 June 1909. In it, Dr Duncan Menzies certifies that his patient is "of unsound mind and a proper person to be taken charge of and detained under care and treatment".

The third document is a permit for admission to an asylum, contained in a letter to the head of the Marylebone Workhouse. Originating from the Asylums Committee and dated 4 June 1909, it gives instructions on when and how the patient is to be removed from one institution to the other.

The fourth document is entitled "Order for reception of a pauper lunatic" and comes from a Justice of the Peace for the County of London. Addressed to the Superintendent of the London County Asylum, it contains the following statement:

I, Frank S Turner, having called to my assistance Dr Duncan Menzies of Dorset Square, London NW, a duly qualified medical practitioner, and being satisfied that David Ritchie, a butler, of Marylebone w/house, is in such circumstances as to require relief for his proper care and maintenance, and that the said David Ritchie is a person of unsound mind and a proper person to be taken charge of and detained under care and treatment, hereby direct you to receive the said David Ritchie as a patient into your asylum. Subjoined is a statement of particulars relating to the said David Ritchie.

Here are the particulars as given on the reception order:

Name of patient [with Christian name at length]: David Ritchie Sex and age: Male, 35 yrs Married, widowed or single: Married Rank, profession, or previous occupation [if any]: Butler Religious persuasion: Ch of Eng Residence at or immediately previous to date hereof: Cleveland House, Piccadilly Whether first attack: No Age on first attack: About 18 years, for about 3 days When and where previously under care and treatment as a person of unsound mind: Nowhere Duration of existing attack: Few days Supposed cause: Unknown Whether subject to epilepsy: No Whether suicidal: Yes Whether dangerous to others, and in what way: Whether any near relative has been afflicted with insanity: Not known Union to which lunacy is chargeable: St Marylebone Names, Christian names, and full postal addresses of one or more relatives of the patient: Wife, Maude [address given] Name of the person to whom notice of death to be sent, and full postal address: Sister-in-law, Mrs E Smith [address given]

The above order for reception concludes with a note by the relieving officer from the workhouse. It confirms that he removed David Ritchie to the London County Asylum on 5 June 1909 and deposited his clothing back at the workhouse.

Photo credit: "Chimney Pots" by Stephanie.

Medical certification under the Lunacy Act of 1890

The following extract from the certificate of the medical practitioner at the workhouse in the parish of St Marylebone makes for fascinating reading. I am indebted to Judy Lester of Kerrywood Research in London for her assistance in finding it for me.

If you are a descendant of David Scott Ritchie Sr and have not read my previous post entitled "What to do with insanity in the family", be sure to do so. Please also remember that what was known about mental illness in 1909 was scant compared to what is known today. Even if you or a member of your family should manifest exactly the same behaviours as described in the quoted report, the chances of being institutionalised are slim. If anything worries you, please consult a doctor or psychologist for an assessment.

With reference to the quote itself, the spelling and punctuation may not be exactly as Judy Lester transcribed it for me, due to the fact that I use screen-reading software which cannot access fine detail in all document formats.

Here is what the certificate of the medical practitioner says:

In the matter of David Ritchie of Marylebone w/house in the County of London, a butler, an alleged lunatic, I, the undersigned Duncan Menzies, do hereby certify as follows: 1. I am a person registered under the medical Act [1858] and I am in the actual practice of the medical profession. 2. On the first day of June 1909, at the w/house, St Marylebone, in the County of London, separately from any other practitioner, I personally examined the said David Ritchie and came to the conclusion that he is a person of unsound mind, and a proper person to be taken charge of and detained under care and treatment. 3. I formed this conclusion on the following grounds, viz, a. Facts indicating insanity observed by myself at the time of examination, viz, he laughs and sings aloud in bed, rambles and talks incoherently, has delusions, says he was born to elevate the human race, says his son and himself suffer from the same ailment at the same time. b. Facts communicated by others, viz, Walter WM Barnard [attendant Marylebone w/house] says patient tried to strangle himself yesterday and when interfered with became violent and had to be put in the padded room. He laughs and sings aloud and refuses his food at times. 4. The said David Ritchie appeared to me to be in a fit condition of bodily health to be removed to an asylum, hospital or licensed house. 5. I give this certificate, having first read the Section of the Act of Parliament printed below. Signed: Duncan Menzies, 40 Dorset Square, London NW. Dated the first day of June 1909. Extract from Section 317, Subsection 2, of the Lunacy Act [1890]: Any person who makes a wilful misstatement of any material fact in any medical or other certificate , or in any statement or report of bodily or mental condition under this Act, shall be guilty of a misdemeanour.

Photo credit: "Salvador Dali" by Hans Olofsson.

What to do with insanity in the family

My great-grandfather David Scott Ritchie Sr was committed to an asylum and lived there until he died at the age of 92. When I first learned of this fact I was mildly intrigued. Then I sobered up as realisation dawned. Assuming he is my biological relative, I carry some of his genes and so do my children.

I intend to share the doctor's report on this blog but, in doing so, I feel I should address the question of what it might mean to you if you are one of David Ritchie's descendants. If you want to find out more but are afraid of what you may discover, consider following these suggestions:

1. Acknowledge your fear

People who pretend they are unafraid of something expend energy trying to avoid ever coming into contact with it. Accept that you are afraid so that your subconscious mind can stop wasting valuable brainpower on self-deception and -diversion. Admit to feeling threatened and allow yourself to experience uncertainty and doubt.

2. Name what you are afraid of

Take time to identify what exactly makes you frightened. If it is losing your mind, being rejected by your loved ones, living in a psychiatric institution, never becoming all you could be,, or going down in history as a hopeless case, say so. By naming the thing you most fear, you take away its monster-in-the-dark quality and render it less scary.

3. Exercise curiosity

Once you have named your fear, it becomes possible to examine it more closely. You can access information from online articles, books and documentary films. If you are specifically worried about symptoms of mental illness, you can book an appointment with a doctor or psychologist to discuss your concerns. Talk to people who have been treated for various psychiatric conditions and find out how both their ailment and their treatment have affected their lives. Do whatever you can to increase your knowledge, since knowledge diminishes fear and helps you take informed action.

4. Adjust your personal narrative

With increased knowledge comes the need to update the story you tell yourself and others. For example, if you were in the habit of saying, "I'd rather not know" or "Innocence is bliss", it's time for a change. Try something like this instead: "There's a chance I may have inherited some form of mental illness but I'm not showing any symptoms. If symptoms should appear, I know where to get treatment. In the meantime, I'm grateful for my health." A story like this will replace anxiety and stress with a sense of general wellbeing and peace.

5. Share what you have discovered

The more you come to believe your new story, the more you will notice how fear and denial grip the minds of others. Having freed yourself from fear, you are now in a position to encourage them to follow the same path. Be patient and compassionate with family members who resist knowing the truth about their ancestor. If they persist in avoiding it to the point of delusion, violence or bizarre behaviour, seek professional medical assistance.

Photo credit: "Monsters under my bed" by Kamila Gornia.

Unexpected details about David Ritchie Sr's admission to the London County Asylum

I received a surprise email last week from Judy Lester of Kerrywood Research about my great-grandfather's admission into the asylum at Hanwell. Having become fascinated in the case from reading my blog, she sourced the 1909 admission record and wanted to share it with me at no charge. This is very generous of her.

The admission record is not, as I had imagined, just an entry in a hospital register. On the contrary, it comprises a whole series of letters and documents which detail David Ritchie's removal from the workhouse in Marylebone to the London County Asylum as well as his movements over the preceding years. I didn't think these sorts of documents even existed but they do, thanks to the National Archives and a very good public service administration system.

The information, however, is sensitive. It affects all direct relatives of David Scott Ritchie Sr, including his one living granddaughter, his four living great-grandchildren, his many great-great-grandchildren and all the living descendants of his brothers, William and Thomas Scott Ritchie. Facts of this nature can be disturbing, especially if they come out of the blue and without a framework in which to view them. I shall, therefore, present them over several days, along with some additional background information and suggestions for integrating new pieces of data with existing ideas about self-image and family identity.

What the admission record will show is that David Ritchie was deemed, at the age of 35, to be of unsound mind on the basis of some bizarre behaviours. Once an apparently sane man who was employed and married with a son, he ended up in an institution for the care of paupers. Questions arise about the condition from which he suffered and whether it is genetically transmitted. Also, what did he do that was so bad as to make his entire family abandon him? Are we to be afraid of his legacy or ashamed of it? Does knowing that he was a so-called lunatic open a Pandora's box of ugly possibilities which can never be chased back into the place of unknowing?

Personally, I don't find the information upsetting. What happened was consistent with the way people responded to mental illness at the time. The situation is very different today, thank goodness. As for how we should approach insanity in the family, I believe it can be viewed as an opportunity for improving our own lives. But more about that in my next post.

Photo credit: "Fire Escape" by Judith.