Storthes Hall Lunatic Asylum

[uksearch]

Just another point, perhaps an obvious one. The information required will amongst other data that is restricted to you, therefore a member of the Institution will have to do the research.

UK

[Diane Grant-Salmon]

Hi UK,

Now I hadn't thought of that, as I often can't see what's staring me in the face! However, I'm not going to fork out a small fortune for a Researcher's fee and that's for sure. I really would like to know about John William FAWCETT .... but not that much!

[uksearch]

Just another point, perhaps an obvious one. The information required will amongst other data that is restricted to you, therefore a member of the Institution will have to do the research.

UK

I should have written that a member of the library staff would have to do the research...perhaps I've got institutions on the brain and need some time in one .

UK

[Diane Grant-Salmon]

Hi again UK,

I take it that it's still the Staff who have to do the research, in which case, I won't be able to find out about John. There is a research fee payable at Wakefield Archives if you want them to look up anything on your behalf ..... if Wakefield Council set the fee, then it will be about £30 an hour!

[uksearch]

Hi again UK,

I take it that it's still the Staff who have to do the research, in which case, I won't be able to find out about John. There is a research fee payable at Wakefield Archives if you want them to look up anything on your behalf ..... if Wakefield Council set the fee, then it will be about £30 an hour! !

Ah...maybe not.I have just checked here.If it is only a relatively short search they would be obliged to do the search free of charge under The Freedom Of Information Act.Maybe worth a dose of looking at ?

UK

[Diane Grant-Salmon]

You've just spoiled my day! I'm only joking with you of course!
I've just received an email from Wakefield Archives (copy in my next message) and I came here to head this message of mine as *It's a case of who-you-know*. Then I was going to say that it was either that, or more likely my surname, which is a real pest at times, with all the jokes about fish etc. but it's funny how people do remember the name!

Anyway, I'll still write what I was going to, before I read your message!

My first trip to the Archives was way back in 1994, before family history became so popular. No appointments needed, they didn't close for lunch in those days, so I went at 1.00p.m. until closing time a couple of days a week. At most, there were about twenty people in there, but sometimes just half a dozen of us, with lots of empty desks!

A young man called Geoff 'signed' me in the first time I went and over the years, we used to chat as well and I knew about his family etc. Guess who replied to my email?

[Diane Grant-Salmon]

Copy email:
Hello,

It's good to hear from you again!
We do hold the records of Storthes Hall here – and there are casenotes to be found for John William Fawcett in the hospital casebooks – his details given as No 896, admitted 14 Mar 1911, age 35 and died 7 Oct 1923 on his index card.

However, there is still a 100 year closure imposed on patients’ records. You will need to contact Christine Parker, Records Manager, St Lukes Hospital, Crosland Moor, Huddersfield HD5 5RG – tel 01484 343900 – for written permission for access. Once you have received the permission you could send it to us and we could cost how much photocopies would come to, if you required these. Contact us again when we can be of further help to you.

Regards,

Geoff Brown
Archivist



West Yorkshire Archive Service, Wakefield Headquarters
Newstead Road
Wakefield

[Peter Goodey]

This looks as if it should be the definitive advice to archivists:

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a..._registers.rtf

[Diane Grant-Salmon]

Hi Peter,

I've just read the link you posted and please correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm assuming then that if I were to go in person to the Archives, after handing over the letter of permission, someone would open the record book at my relevant pages. They would stay with me at all times to make sure that I didn't look at any other entries.

Seeing as I can't go in person and I told Wakefield Archives this in my email ...... as it will probably be Geoff who will be looking at the pages and not me ..... then written permission isn't necessary?

I phoned Christine Parker, a very pleasant lady, and she understood why I want to access the records to find out the truth! She asked my relationship to John (my Grandfather's brother) and his date of birth, which I have of course, but I don't have a certificate as I didn't need one! No mention of me having to get a copy either.

I have his date and place of burial, the record said that he died in Storthes Hall, but I didn't know his date of death, but Geoff gave me that, so that was lucky! I gave her the rest of the info provided by Geoff of course, so then she just asked for my full name, address and telephone number.

She is sending me a letter of permission!

[Diane Grant-Salmon]

I want to know why John Fawcett ended up in a lunatic asylum, because of all the stories and lies which were told to my late Aunt Joyce, who was John's niece.

She gave me all my *start off* points for researching my family history and she was told that John, aged twelve years, after a Teacher threw a blackboard rubber at his head, he started having fits and then died shortly afterwards.

Just before I left Yorkshire, I went to Huddersfield Library to look up burial records for the Fawcett family in Dewsbury Cemetery, to my horror I found that John was buried in 1923, in the same grave as his Father. I was very upset and thought that he had been *pushed* into an Asylum aged twelve, just because he had fits!

However, I was very shocked to find him on the 1901 Census, a Carpet Weaver and still living at home with his Parents ...... so now I want to know The Truth!