See also
| Name: | Lydia WENSLEY1 |
| Sex: | Female |
| Father: | James WENSLEY (c. 1801-1881) |
| Mother: | Mary WALLER (c. 1802-1851) |
| Birth | c. 1838 | Cheriton Fitzpaine, Devon, England |
| Death | Q4 1896 (age 57-58) | Puddington, Devon, England |
Record of Lydia's admission Lydia Wensley to St Thomas's Asylum,
Order For The Reception of a Pauper into An Asylum
Mr Ferguson Davie has called upon my assistance as surgeon to personally examine Lydia Wensley, a pauper, and satisfied that she is a person of unsound mind and a proper person to be taken charge and detained under care and treatment hereby direct you to receive the said Lydia Wensley as a patient into your Asylum
Signed Mr Ferguson Davie
JP County of Devon
John Wellacott
Receiving Officer Crediton Union 17th March 1881
Dr Sanders
Superintendent County of Devon at Exminster
Statement for Admission No 5768
Name of Patient: Lydia Wensley
Age: 43 years Single Femail
Occupation: Domestic work and farmer's daughter
Address: Bamson, Puddington
First Attack No
Age at First Attack 28 years
Where Treated St Thomas's Asylum Exeter 1866
Duration of Attack: Many years
Danger to Others: Yes
Parish to be Charged: Puddington in the Crediton Union
Name and place of
Abode of nearest
Relative: James Wensley, Bamson, Puddington
Father
Signed: John Wellacott
Receiving Officer Sandford Crediton Union
Medical Certificate
I the undersigned being a member of the College of Surgeons and being in actual practice as a Surgeon in the County of Devon hereby certify that I on the 14th day of March 1881 at Bamson, Puddington in the County of Devon personally examined Lydia Wensley Employed in Domestic Work and Daughter of a Farmer and that the said, Lydia Wensley is a person of unsound mind and a proper person to be charged of and detained under care and treatment, and that I have formed this opinion upon the following grounds via
Facts indicating insanity observed by myself: On presenting myself to her she seemed to regard me with the greatest suspicion and distrust. Her general appearance showed great negligence and of something wrong. She was only partially dressed and in this state wandered about the house. On being spoken to she seemed quite at a loss as to what reply to make. An important fact noticeable was her great dislike of her father and she informed me that she heartily wished him dead and several times she spoke as if she considered that he ought to die and as his time was coming, infact I considered his life to be quite in danger from her hands
Other Facts (If Any) Indicating Insanity Communicated to Me By Others
The sister of Lydia Wensley corroborated the intense hatred of the woman to her father and she quite expected that some violence might be enacted and she also informed me that in every way Lydia Wensley acted in the most extraordinary manner and in church she was sometimes quite out of control. Her Father stated his own apprehension of danger from his daughter at all times. In Church she endeavoured to snatch the chalice from the hands of the Clergyman, (The Rev'd Fell) and behaved in the most unseemly manner.
Unable to read signature
Place of Abode: Cheriton Fitzpaine
Date the 14th day of March 1881.
Case Record
History of the Disease
She was a patient in St Thomas's Hospital, Exeter for six months in 1866: she was removed on the request of her friends, but has never been well since: Lately she has become more troublesome, and her friends have been unable to control her or to induce her to ? annuities of life ( her father is 80, and it appears that he has not of late had the necessary supervision)
General State of Mind
She is demented, quiet and apparently harmless; habits clean: refuses to work
General Physical Appearance
A fairly nourished woman of average height, hair brown, eyes grey, pupils normal
State of Tongue
Clean
Appetite
Good
Functions of Stomach, Bowels and Kidney
Healthy
Pulse and Circulation
Healthy
Voice and Respiration
Healthy
Functions of Uterus
?
Sleeps
Well
Progress of Case After Admission
April 2nd 1881 No change mentally or bodily
July 10th 1881 No mental improvement since her admission: Bodily health good
August 10th 1881 No change
January 10th 1882 No change
April 14th 1882 No change
July 16th 1882 Demented, quiet and harmless, does not want to communicate with
the other patients. Bodily health good
October 17th 1882 No mental change to record
April 21st 1883 Demented and unmanageable. In good bodily health
July 22nd 1883 No change
October 31st 1883 No change
January 30th 1884 She is now more troublesome and always attempting to escape
April 30th 1884 No change to record
July 21st 1884 No mental change to report
October 18th 1884 There is no mental change and she is always attempting to get away She does not work or communicate with others, she is in fair health
January 17th 1885 No mental change: bodily health fair
April 17th 1885 No change
Discharged not approved
13th May 1885
| 1 | www.heardfamilyhistory.org.uk. This GEDCOM is predominantly the work of Nick Heard, but it incorporates the collaborated work of many other family historians. You are welcome to use the information herein but please acknowledge the source. Every effort has been made to ensure the data is accurate, but any use you make of it is entirely at your own risk. (c) Nick Heard 2009 |