Hi listers My great-grandmother, Elizabeth Rose (nee Davenport) was an inmate in Powick Asylum from 1885 to 1892 and I was able to view all the original records at Worcester Records Office, although they do have to be ordered in advance from their off-site storage facility. The 19th century records are very extensive and are basically full-page (or more) accounts of the types of treatment, problems, release (or, as in my ancestor's case, death) each individual received. If you are able to visit be sure to phone to order the records in advance or you will have a wasted journey. I know from reading some of the cases as I looked for my own specific family member that people were in the asylum for dubious reasons - my great-grandmother appears to have been admitted suffering from little more than post-natal depression, so alcoholism would have been certain grounds for admission. Best wishes, Steve Cullen Researching: Rose - Halesowen and surrounding area Davenport - Belbroughton and surrounding area Guise - Worcestershire Cullen - Somerset & Rhondda Valley ----- Original Message ----- From: <jcweatherby@aol.com> To: <ENG-WORCESTER-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, July 02, 2005 3:43 AM Subject: [WOR] hemming - POWICK ASYLUM > My greatgrandfather, Alfred Hemming, a 50 year old male builder, resident > in Worcester (prob. New Street) with his wife, Sarah Letitia (Stanton) > Hemming and several children, died July 8, 1875 of what appears to be > "pthsis and hematopsis" in what appears from the death certificate to be > "Lunatic Asylum, Powick." At an unknown date, there is/was is a Powick > Pauper Lunatic Asylum apparently owned/operated by the City and County of > Worcester, ab out 2-1/2 miles south of Worcester. However, the > conditions he had (misspelled, of course) seem more likely to be related > to TB than any other cause, and so far as I can tell from the information > regarding the surviving family members and their "station," he was far > from being a pauper. How can I find out why he was there? Was the Asylum > ever anything other than a "lunatic" asylum? There is a suggestion in the > notes of the family member who dug this up (since deceased), that great > grandfather may have been an alcoholic. Would thi! > s suffice to put him in a Lunatic Asylum? As you can tell, I'm waiting > with baited breath for this answer, having found a jailbird in my > husband's family, as well as another skeleton or two, I wouldn't be > shocked by anything. > > > ==== ENG-WORCESTER Mailing List ==== > FreeREG Project: parish register database > http://freereg.rootsweb.com > > UK Census on-line > http://freecen.rootsweb.com/ > http://www.worcestershiresurnames.co.uk/ > > >