Henry Hawkins: Founder of Together

known as the After-care Association of gratitude almost seemed to for Poor and Friendless Female distress him.’ Convalescents on Leaving Asylums for the Insane. Though in 1886, Henry’s legacy having brought the organisation into The organisation that Henry founded being, he stepped down to has grown into the Together of today. concentrate on his first love – his The story of the charity’s growth is work at Colney Hatch – and the told in Community Care in the Association appointed a paid Making: A History of Together 1879– Henry Hawkins: Secretary to replace him. 2000 (available from Together). A century and a quarter after it was Founder of Together Retirement founded, Together is a leading When Henry finally retired in 1900 he national charity working for had worked at Colney Hatch for 33 wellbeing: that means we support A short biography of the founder of the years, and in retirement, according to people with mental health needs to country’s oldest community mental-health charity his obituary in the Friern Barnet get what they want from life and to Parish Magazine: ‘The Asylum still feel happier. We do this by running a saw his friendly face. His life for its range of services across the country; inmates became more than ever a by campaigning and doing research; labour of love; for nothing could and by educating local communities daunt the interest he felt there.’ about their own mental health needs. Henry died aged 79 on 16 In everything we do we are inspired December 1904 after a short illness, and guided by the hopes and wishes and was buried at St James the of the people we support. Great in Friern Barnet. His parish To find out more about magazine obituary also included this Together’s work, call us on 020 touching tribute: ‘To meet him in the 7061 3400 or visit our website street was a privilege and a delight, www.together-uk.org and one hears on every side how his pleasant little greetings, his humorous sayings, or his tender words of sympathy, have been welcomed and treasured by all who received them. And then there was Together: Working for Wellbeing that charming humility of disposition, 1st floor Lincoln House which so persistently refused 296–302 High Holborn recognition – in fact, any expression London WC1V 7JH Rev Henry Hawkins, Chaplain of Family life may now appear somewhat dated, sure these people would be offered Colney Hatch Asylum, was the Henry and Mary had eight children, naive or paternalistic, but what that consideration. driving force behind the formation four sons and four daughters. The shines most clearly through the high Combining practical application of of Together – the country’s oldest eldest son Francis followed Henry Victorian language is the spirit of a the latest psychiatric ideas about community mental-health charity – into the Church eventually becoming gentle , kind and caring man, and – ‘boarded-out’ care with a practical over 125 years ago. Predendary of St Paul’s Cathedral. something that does not fit well with determination to get something done, His son, Robert, was Canon of St modern concepts of the relationship in 1871 he wrote in the Journal of Early inspiration George’s Chapel, Windsor. (We are between professionals and those Mental Science (later the British Henry Hawkins was born on 25 very grateful to Robert’s son Tony who use mental-health services – the Journal of Psychiatry) ‘A Plea for September 1825 and grew up in Hawkins – Henry’s great grandson – great love he felt for those in his Convalescent Homes in Connection Gosmore, a village near Hitchin, the for all the information about his family care. with Asylums for the Insane Poor’. only son of a prominent surgeon. His that he has given us.) In it Henry described his vision for only sister Matilda died at the age of Sadly two of Henry’s sons died Nowhere to go ‘a kind of half-way house, between 10 when Henry was 25. young, one in childhood. But Edward There was one group of patients the asylum and the world’ in which He was privately tutored by a Rev the other surviving son became a whose situation particularly touched people could live while they John May in Moulsey (?). It seems doctor, while one daughter Henrietta Henry. This was those people who readjusted to life outside Colney likely that it was during this period worked with her father at Colney were well enough to leave but had no Hatch and looked for work. that Henry developed his interest in Hatch and her sister Mary was a nun. home, family or job to go to. Women asylum work because his tutor was in particular found it hard to reclaim Together is formed himself a future asylum chaplain, Asylum chaplain their place in society. Job In 1879 Henry wrote again to the who went on to become Chaplain of It was when the post of Chaplain at opportunities for uneducated women Journal of Mental Science on the the Middlesex County Asylum at the Sussex County Asylum at were limited and many employers subject of ‘After Care’, describing the Hanwell after Henry went up to Haywards Heath became available in then, as now, unwilling to offer work problems faced by those leaving the Oxford in 1844. 1859 that Henry was able to begin to someone who had had mental- asylum, and the urgent need for After graduating, Henry went to what would become his life’s work. health problems. ‘convalescent homes’ and job Wells Theological College, one of The role of Asylum Chaplain In 1869 the Medical opportunities. many members of his family before involved caring for the spiritual Superintendent wrote ‘I could And on June 5 that year he and after him to enter the Church. On wellbeing of patients and staff, taking discharge more than 100 of the organised a meeting of some the leaving Wells he became a deacon, chapel services, conducting funerals, females without the slightest most important names in psychiatry then Curate of ‘Moulsham’ (possibly organising volunteer helpers, and hesitation and at once if I could at the time, including Drs Daniel Moulsecoomb, E Sussex?) in 1849, running the library and educational ensure for them outside the most Hack Tuke, John Bucknill and before being ordained in 1851. Two classes. reasonable consideration for their Charles Lockheart Robertson, at years later, now Curate of Barking, We can glean more details of condition and infirmity. This, which was formed the charitable he married his cousin, Mary what was involved from the however, is utterly beyond my organisation dedicated to ‘after care’ Hawkins, before taking up another chaplain’s reports that Henry wrote power…’ But Henry set about doing that his article had advocated. curate’s post at Cuckfield, West for each of the asylum’s annual everything within his power to make Henry himself was elected the Sussex, in 1854. reports during his eight years at first Secretary of what was then To differing degrees, reforming Colney Hatch contained the three- Haywards Heath. From these, for Colney Hatch (later Friern and radical doctors advocated quarter-of-a-mile longest corridor in example, we learn that another Hospital) is in New Southgate, north alternative models of home-based Europe, and, as one visitor reported, aspect of the job involved replying to London. It was the largest asylum in care in the community, based in it took ‘five hours to walk the hospital the relatives who wrote to the asylum Europe. Almost as infamous as the particular on the approaches to and see every ward’ – Henry found to find out how patients were Bethlem Hospital, its name appeared mental-health care adopted in time to produce a range of ‘tracts’ progressing. in ‘comic’ songs such as ‘Here’s Belgium and Scotland. offering solace and advice to both We also learn about some of the Another One Off to Colney Hatch’, staff and patients. These included small but important ways in which and became a generic term for an A life’s work Work in the Wards, Visiting Day at Henry worked to improve the way asylum in writings of the time. It was in this context that Henry the Asylum, Friendly Words with a patients were treated. In one report, William Morris in his News from continued his work at Colney Hatch. New Patient and Made Whole: A for example, he argued for, and Nowhere, for example, writes: ‘There His duties were the same as at Parting Address to Convalscents on apparently later secured, the certainly seemed no flavour in him of Middlesex, with the addition of Leaving an Asylum, several of which introduction of markers for graves Colney Hatch’. organising a collection of musical were published – and reprinted many and names on coffins: humane Like other such institutions, the instruments provided for the patients’ times – by SPCK. gestures in a world where ‘pauper Middlesex Asylum was designed to use. (These were one element of the Filled with advice on all aspects of lunatics’ were buried in unmarked be self-sufficient with its own farm, lighter side of life in Colney Hatch physical, mental and spiritual health, graves. laundry, needle room etc, ‘staffed’ by that is revealed in the following list of with supporting Biblical texts these Other reports show how he patients. Built between 1849 and entertainments and social events do contain the admonishments about encouraged those in the potentially 1851 using more than ten million recorded as having been held in the evils of strong drink and ‘bad insular world of the institution to look bricks and with a foundation stone 1868: ‘summer and winter fêtes, 15 books [that] … paint vice in bright outside its walls, arranging visits from laid by Prince Albert, Colney Hatch balls, three dramatic representations, colour’ that we might expect of 19th missionaries who told stories of their appeared very grand – from a three magic-lantern shows, two century tracts.

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