Patients and Inmates ~ what's the difference ?

[Rachel]

Originally Posted by Stella

There used to be a large psychiatric hospital in Epsom called 'West Park' hospital. Also in Epsom was the Ewell Epileptic Colony - just Googled it.

Can't find an address anywhere

It says London County Council The Epileptic Colony

and the Ecc Parish is Epsom Common, Christ Church and on the page 'Instruction To The Enumerator' it has 'Civil Parish or Parishes'

Epsom and Ewell are both hand written but Ewell is crossed out ~ don't know if I'm allowed to put part of the image on here ?

Can pm or email you

[annswabey]

There is an indication of where records are held here

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/h...hdatabase.y=19

(Assuming it was Ewell Epileptic Colony in Hook Rd, Epsom)

[Rachel]

Originally Posted by annswabey

There is an indication of where records are held here

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/h...hdatabase.y=19

(Assuming it was Ewell Epileptic Colony in Hook Rd, Epsom)

Thanks for that
Will send an email and see where it takes me

[Langley Vale Sue]

Yes it was the Ewell Epileptic Colony in Hook Road, Epsom. Now known as St Ebba's. My Great Aunt was a patient there from about 1912 until about 1964. (Can't give you the exact dates as I'm not on my pc at the moment.)

Most of it has been sold off & demolished to make way for a new housing estate which is being built now. All the other 'Mental Hospitals' in Epsom have gone the same way now - I'm surprised St Ebba's held out for so long!

As far as I know, all the patients/inmates at St Ebba's were epileptic in varying degrees. My Great Aunt had her first fit just after she started menstruating and was committed then. Her fits were controlled, but as I understand from family members, she was not allowed out 'because she was a danger'. Whether to herself or to others I don't know. I know she wasn't even allowed out to attend her parents funerals in 1931 and in 1952. She was never spoken about in the family, and I didn't know she existed until just before she was released into the care of a nurse at St Ebba's where she had a room in her house. As far as I know she hadn't had a fit for many years and as she was post menopause she was considered fit to be released. Auntie Ethel worked in the laundry in St Ebba's and most of the inmates/patients had jobs in the hospital or grounds. After her release she travelled the world with all the money she had saved! She was a lovely, gentle lady and had about 10 years 'outside' (the last year in her own flat in sheltered accommodation close to where I lived at the time) before dying of cancer.

Some of the 'treatments/cures' inflicted on the patients were positively barbaric and Auntie wouldn't talk about them in any detail telling me I wouldn't want to know. I think the records are locked for 100 years, but whether that is from the committal date or release date I don't know.

Good luck with your hunting and I'd love to know how you get on.


Forgot to say the family lived in Putney, SW London when Auntie Ethel was committed - I don't know whether where in London you lived made a difference as to which hospital you were sent to.

[Langley Vale Sue]

Just found this. It's a listing of the burials in Horton Cemetery and Dora is among the names.
http://www.epsomandewellhistoryexplo...BurialsF.shtml

The cemetery was derelict until fairly recently, when a group of local people decided that those buried there should not be forgotten and restoration began.
http://www.epsomandewellhistoryexplo...nCemetery.html

So Dora died on 24th December 1914 aged 26. Very young.

Did you look for her death reg or were you trying to find what happened to her?

Originally Posted by Langley Vale Sue

The cemetery was derelict until fairly recently, when a group of local people decided that those buried there should not be forgotten and restoration began.
http://www.epsomandewellhistoryexplo...nCemetery.html

Thats a very good piece about the reason Epsom seem to have a high number of Asylums. Very interesting - I've always wondered.

[Rachel]

Oh Sue
WOW ~ Dora's burial ~ that's fantastic
Thank you so much I found her death on FreeBMD earlier, reg in Epsom and would never have associated it with her before ~ a bit of a trek from Fulham, where her parents lived.
It looks as if St Ebbas and Colony were different places

What an awful waste of life for your Gt aunt but at least she had some years of normality. I do wonder if some of the treatment was the cause of death for many of them

[Langley Vale Sue]

Originally Posted by maggie_4_7

So Dora died on 24th December 1914 aged 26. Very young.

Did you look for her death reg or were you trying to find what happened to her?



Thats a very good peice about the reason Epsom seem to have a high number of Asylums. Very interesting - I've always wondered.

I pass the cemetery most days when going to my son's or daughters' houses and it looks so sad and neglected. It is almost opposite St Ebba's hospital site. I knew that the local history society had transcribed some records so I looked up Dora's name out of curiosity.

[Langley Vale Sue]

Rachel

Ewell Epileptic Colony was renamed as St Ebba's so I think they are one and the same place.

[Rachel]

Originally Posted by maggie_4_7

So Dora died on 24th December 1914 aged 26. Very young.

Did you look for her death reg or were you trying to find what happened to her?

Hiya
I was actually doing a bit of an idle search on FMP after an email from my NZ cousin (we share gt gt grandparents) and have spent the past few years bashing our branches into shape, swapping info and doing the fine-tuning !

Gt gt aunt Rebecca was easy to find in 1911 and then it sort of took off


Sue ~ it definitely says Epsom and not Ewell
Will PM you with the relevant bit of image as I don't know if it's OK to put it on the website

A fascinating day and I've not made a start on anything I had planned !