Oxford researchers are invited to trial Records of Bethlem Royal Hospital 1559-1932. This resource is useful for the study of mental health care throughout the ages. It is relevant for the study of:
- History of mental health, madness, lunacy, etc.
- History oif mental health services and treatment
- Lunacy Reform & legislative history
- Social & family history
- Military history (esp. First World War)
- History of crime
© Images reproduced by courtesy of the Trustees of the Bethlem Museum of the Mind; © Findmypast Ltd.
Bethlem Royal Hospital is a psychiatric facility in London. It was established as a priory of the Order of St Mary of Bethlehem in 1247, before beginning to care for mentally ill patients sometime in the 14th century. Often referred to colloquially as ‘Bedlam’—and generally accepted to be the origin of the very same noun—past incarnations of the institution were infamous for their questionable diagnosis of mental illness and poor treatment of patients.
This collection contains four centuries’ and 130,000 images’ worth of records from Bethlem. The records are diverse in both form and subject matter. They include:
- Admission, Discharge, and Death Registers, 1683-1919
- Female Patient Casebooks, 1778-1913
- Male Patient Casebooks, 1793-1913
- Voluntary and Curable Patient Casebooks, 1816-1913
- Criminal and Incurable Patient Admission Registers and Casebooks, 1778-1864
- Patient Casebooks from the First World War, 1914-1919
- Management of Bethlem Royal Hospital, 1559-1932 (incl. staff salary books, minutes of the Court of Governors)
All handwritten items have been fully transcribed.
© Images reproduced by courtesy of the Trustees of the Bethlem Museum of the Mind; © Findmypast Ltd.
Scholars and students alike will find that, together, the records provide a unique insight into the evolution of so-called lunacy laws – from an early reliance on control of the mentally ill through coercion and restraint to the later emergence of doctrines of self-discipline and moral management.
The trial ends on 12 October 2023. Please email feedback to isabel.holowaty@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.