J. P. Gilliver (John) <G6JPG@soft255.demon.co.uk> wrote: > In message <kplld0$l8r$1@speranza.aioe.org>, Ann Watson > <Annailis@NOTSOhotmail.com> writes: > >On 16/06/2013 7:22 AM, roy.stockdill@btinternet.com wrote: > >> A new series starts on ITVI on Tuesday June 25, made by Wall To Wall > >> Television, the same people who make Who Do You Think You Are? > >> > >> This will focus on celebrities who are horrified/shocked/appalled > >>(choose your > >> own phrase) to discover they had an ancestor who ended up in the workhouse. > > > >I'd save "horrified/shocked/appalled" for discovering ancestors who > >ended up in the insane asylum! > > > >AW > > > > > Beware: it is my understanding that that was used as a weapon against > women under the flimsiest of justifications, and of course almost > impossible to "escape" from, until relatively recently - there's a > notorious act (something like "communicable diseases" I think) involved. > So finding at least a female ancestor (ancestress?) was declared insane > is not necessarily a reason for horror/shock/appalation (?). > > Ah, found it (Wikipedia's search engine didn't find it under "Act" - the > entry is "Acts". Bad! Took me about 25 minutes to get round that!): > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contagious_Diseases_Acts Mind you, there may have been justification - one rather distant cousin of mine died in Wadsley Asylum in Sheffield and the family today suspect syphillis - though of course it would be very difficult to find out for sure. -- Please reply to john at yclept dot wanadoo dot co dot uk.