The Cost of Insanity in Nineteenth-Century Ireland Public, Voluntary and Private Asylum Care

Mental Health in Historical Perspective The Cost of Insanity in Nineteenth-Century Ireland Public, Voluntary and Private Asylum Care Alice Mauger Mental Health in Historical Perspective Series Editors Catharine Coleborne School of Humanities and Social Science University of Newcastle Callaghan, NSW, Australia Matthew Smith History of Psychiatry University of Strathclyde Glasgow, UK Covering all historical periods and geographical contexts, the series explores how mental illness has been understood, experienced, diag- nosed, treated and contested. It will publish works that engage actively with contemporary debates related to mental health and, as such, will be of interest not only to historians, but also mental health professionals, patients and policy makers. With its focus on mental health, rather than just psychiatry, the series will endeavour to provide more patient-centred histories. Although this has long been an aim of health historians, it has not been realised, and this series aims to change that. The scope of the series is kept as broad as possible to attract good quality proposals about all aspects of the history of mental health from all periods. The series emphasises interdisciplinary approaches to the feld of study, and encourages short titles, longer works, collections, and titles which stretch the boundaries of academic publishing in new ways. More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/14806 Alice Mauger The Cost of Insanity in Nineteenth-Century Ireland Public, Voluntary and Private Asylum Care Alice Mauger Centre for the History of Medicine in Ireland, School of History University College Dublin Dublin, Ireland Mental Health in Historical Perspective ISBN 978-3-319-65243-6 ISBN 978-3-319-65244-3 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65244-3 Library of Congress Control Number: 2017949204 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018. This book is an open access publication. Open Access This book is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this book are included in the book’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the book’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifc statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affliations. Cover credit: © book cover art Joana Kruse/Alamy Stock Photo Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland In Memory of my Mother, Mary ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This book is the product of the immense levels of support and encouragement given to me over the last few years, not just in University College Dublin, where I studied, but in archives, other universities and at home. Dr. Catherine Cox was a constant source of guidance, providing me with the essential and thought-provoking feedback, comments and criticism she is uniquely qualifed to make. I would also particularly like to thank Dr. Lindsey Earner-Byrne, for her kindness, thoroughness and professional insights into all my academic pursuits and her continued interest and support. In addition, I am indebted to my colleagues who have worked at the School of History and Archives and the Centre for the History of Medicine in Ireland at University College Dublin for their stimulating academic conversations, helpful advice and friendship. These include Drs. Anne Mac Lellan, David Durnin, Fiachra Byrne, Richard McElligott, Sarah York, Niamh NicGhabhann, Sean Lucey, Philomena Gorey, Clara Cullen, Claire Poinsot, Ian Miller and Keith Smith, and my former colleagues at William Fry, including Maria Butler and Deirdre McGuinness. I am also indebted to everyone who has provided feedback, comments and questions at the various places I presented my work. I am especially grateful to the Wellcome Trust, who kindly funded both my master’s and doctoral studies and made it possible for me to spend periods of time in different parts of Ireland conducting research and to share it with colleagues abroad. Thanks also to the editorial team at Palgrave MacMillan, especially Molly Beck and the anonymous reviewer for their generous and insightful feedback on drafts of this manuscript. vii viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The archival research, which forms the basis of this book, would not have been possible without the confdence vested in me by those who granted me access to the nineteenth-century records of nine Irish psy- chiatric hospitals. I am extremely grateful to these individuals and col- lectives, who include Emma Balmaine, Sile McManus, Stewarts’ Ethics Committee and the HSE. I would especially like to thank Dr. Denis Eustace, who not only took the time to meet with me and grant me access to his treasure trove of historic records but also provided me with his keen insight and unparalleled knowledge of Hampstead and Highfeld Houses. His tour of the demesne, encompassing its unspoiled nineteenth-century pleasure grounds, really brought to life for me the history I was writing. Archival research would have proven rather isolating and daunting were it not for the kindness, patience and immeasurable assistance of the archivists, librarians and records keepers at the various places I worked. They include Brian Donnelly and Gregory O’Connor at the National Archives of Ireland, Gráinne Doran at the Wexford County Council Archive Service, Irene Franklin at Clare County Council, Richard Bennett at Grangegorman Museum, Glynn and Shirley Douglas and all the gang at the Friend’s Historical Library in Rathfarnham, Joan Rappel and Sean Priestly at Stewarts, Kate McCallion at St John of God Hospital and Harriet Wheelock at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. Their inspiring suggestions and interest in my research made archival visits an enjoyable and productive pursuit and were a testament to their dedication in furthering the study of Irish history. Many went beyond their call of duty, providing me with transport to and from archives and even lunch! I would also like to thank the staff at the National Archives of Ireland, the National Archives (Kew), the National Library of Ireland and the Public Records Offce Northern Ireland. I want to thank all my close friends and my family, especially Ralph Mauger, Jack and Emma Carroll, and Catherine, Philip and Sophie Mitchell. Their endurance and encouragement have been unwavering and I am forever indebted to them. I would not be where I am today without the guidance, love and support of my mother, Mary, who always believed in me. Finally, thanks to Richard for his unceasing patience, direction and moral support, and for being my best friend. Alice Mauger CONTENTS 1 Introduction 1 Part I Governing Insanity 2 The Non-Pauper Insane: Private, Voluntary and State Concerns 27 3 An Institutional Marketplace 69 Part II Understanding Insanity 4 ‘A Considerable Degree Removed from Pauperism’?: The Social Profle of Fee-Paying Patients 115 5 ‘The Evil Effects of Mental Strain and Overwork’: Employment, Gender and Insanity 149 6 ‘A Great Source of Amusement’: Work Therapy and Recreation 189 ix x CONTENTS 7 Respect and Respectability: The Treatment and Expectations of Fee-Paying Patients 207 Conclusion 253 Appendix: A Methodology and Sources for Chapter 4 259 Select Bibliography 261 Index 273 ABBREVIATIONS CCA Clare Country Archives CSORP Chief Secretary’s Offce Registered Papers FHL Friend’s Historical Library, Rathfarnham, Dublin GM Grangegorman Museum NAI National Archives of Ireland PRONI Public Records Offce of Northern Ireland SJOGH St. John of God Hospital WCC Wexford County Council xi LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 2.1 Patient numbers in voluntary and private asylums in Ireland, 1830 to 1900 44 Fig. 2.2 Patient numbers in St Patrick’s, Bloomfeld, St Vincent’s and Stewarts, 1830–1900 45 Fig. 3.1 Advertisement for Hampstead House, Glasnevin, Dublin, 1858 91 Fig. 7.1 Photograph of Michael C., male paying patient, Richmond district asylum, 20 May 1900 217 Fig. 7.2 Photograph of Rebecca B., female paying patient, Richmond district asylum, undated 239 xiii LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 Number of paying patients resident in district asylums and the proportion of paying patients to total patients resident in district asylums, 1857–1889

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