At one time most of the countryside mental hospitals were like a small village with a lot of staff accomodation,some living in cottages on the grounds or in the nurses home,not all the staff lived out. I recall looking up the father of one of my uncles as Gran had claimed for "maintainence" and it said he was an inmate at a mental institution,turned out he was a live in porter ----- Original Message ----- From: "Janet" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, August 28, 2013 3:07 AM Subject: [ABERDEEN] Residence: Sunnyside Lunatic Asylum. >I appreciate the address is Montrose 1901 but I wonder if someone can >advise me. > I find a father in law whose address has been transcribed as being at > Sunnyside Lunatic > Asylum. I understand that he may not necessarily have been lacking any > capacity to be at > the address, in circumstances where he needed not to be living alone or > for health reasons > (?) > The entry in the census includes father in law who is a Plumber, with > daughter, husband > and 4 children of their marriage, all living at Sunnyside Lunatic Asylum, > Montrose. I > could blame the transcription if justified, but surely who ever is > responsible wouldnt > have clutched the address out of thin air. Does this sound right for the > social > circumstances in 1901? > > > Janet > > > > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message

I think this was what was in my mind when I first posted. I wondered if the family had fallen on hard times and had been "admitted" to Sunnyside because there was no where else for them to go. I hoped someone might have knowledge about the circumstances where this might happen before I considered anything else. I suppose a plumber would be needed at Sunnyside at some point in time dependent on the plumbing in such a building, so now I have to make some further enquiries. The surname of the family is COLLISON in case any one is interested. My ancestor was Mary GORDON who married William COLLISON the plumber on 20 Oct 1866 in Dundee Mary's parents were James GORDON and Isabella CUTHILL 1869. Isabella died of puerperal fever 7 days after the birth of her 12th child William Ross GORDON in 1861. James GORDON married again to Elizabeth WATSON on 23 March 1869 Janet ----- Original Message ----- From: " June Riddell" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, August 30, 2013 8:32 AM Subject: Re: [ABERDEEN] Residence: Sunnyside Lunatic Asylum. > At one time most of the countryside mental hospitals were like a small > village with a lot of staff accomodation,some living in cottages on the > grounds or in the nurses home,not all the staff lived out. I recall > looking up the father of one of my uncles as Gran had claimed for > "maintainence" and it said he was an inmate at a mental institution,turned > out he was a live in porter > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Janet" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, August 28, 2013 3:07 AM > Subject: [ABERDEEN] Residence: Sunnyside Lunatic Asylum. > > >>I appreciate the address is Montrose 1901 but I wonder if someone can >>advise me. >> I find a father in law whose address has been transcribed as being at >> Sunnyside Lunatic >> Asylum. I understand that he may not necessarily have been lacking any >> capacity to be at >> the address, in circumstances where he needed not to be living alone or >> for health reasons >> (?) >> The entry in the census includes father in law who is a Plumber, with >> daughter, husband >> and 4 children of their marriage, all living at Sunnyside Lunatic Asylum, >> Montrose. I >> could blame the transcription if justified, but surely who ever is >> responsible wouldnt >> have clutched the address out of thin air. Does this sound right for the >> social >> circumstances in 1901? >> >> >> Janet >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with > the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

On 30/08/2013 09:59, Janet wrote: > I think this was what was in my mind when I first posted. I wondered if the family had > fallen on hard times and had been "admitted" to Sunnyside because there was no where else > for them to go. That is *extremely* unlikely, simply in terms of cost. From the Poor Law records of Aberdour, ABD it appears that, while the rate of "outdoor relief" for a mother with 2 children was around 2 shillings per week (or around £5 per year) the cost to the Parochial Board of keeping a single individual in the Lunatic Asylum was over £40 per year. Gavin Bell

June, I ought to have thanked you for your contribution, and those of others too. I have searched more about Sunnyside, Scotland's first Lunatic Asylum, and there doesn't seem to be much doubt about its purpose for those who were "lunatic" rather than it being a place where paupers might be sent, as in a Poor House. I first found James GORDON at Sunnyside in 1901 census and was surprised when I also found his daughter, her husband, and the children there too. I brought the details to this List for record purposes about where families might be found in a variety of circumstances. I believe the records of Sunnyside are in existence so will report back if I find anything worth recording. Janet ----- Original Message ----- From: " June Riddell" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, August 30, 2013 8:32 AM Subject: Re: [ABERDEEN] Residence: Sunnyside Lunatic Asylum. > At one time most of the countryside mental hospitals were like a small > village with a lot of staff accomodation,some living in cottages on the > grounds or in the nurses home,not all the staff lived out. I recall > looking up the father of one of my uncles as Gran had claimed for > "maintainence" and it said he was an inmate at a mental institution,turned > out he was a live in porter > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Janet" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, August 28, 2013 3:07 AM > Subject: [ABERDEEN] Residence: Sunnyside Lunatic Asylum. > > >>I appreciate the address is Montrose 1901 but I wonder if someone can >>advise me. >> I find a father in law whose address has been transcribed as being at >> Sunnyside Lunatic >> Asylum. I understand that he may not necessarily have been lacking any >> capacity to be at >> the address, in circumstances where he needed not to be living alone or >> for health reasons >> (?) >> The entry in the census includes father in law who is a Plumber, with >> daughter, husband >> and 4 children of their marriage, all living at Sunnyside Lunatic Asylum, >> Montrose. I >> could blame the transcription if justified, but surely who ever is >> responsible wouldnt >> have clutched the address out of thin air. Does this sound right for the >> social >> circumstances in 1901? >> >> >> Janet >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with > the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Hello June, Your surname is a magnet to me. May I write to you off-list, please? Gail Riddell On 30/08/2013, at 7:32 PM, June Riddell wrote: > At one time most of the countryside mental hospitals were like a small > village with a lot of staff accomodation,some living in cottages on the > grounds or in the nurses home,not all the staff lived out. I recall > looking up the father of one of my uncles as Gran had claimed for > "maintainence" and it said he was an inmate at a mental institution,turned > out he was a live in porter