The Berkshire Echo Issue 45 l Uncovering Broadmoor’s Secret History l Case Notes: Broadmoor l Conservation of Broadmoor’s Records l New to the Archives From the Editor From the Editor It’s not everyday that you get the offer of mended, of fear and paranoia. It is not Dates for Your Diary looking after an archive of international history for the fainthearted. Yet at its The Secret World of Victorian importance, but it happened to BRO heart is a community - a community of Broadmoor nearly 5 years ago. Broadmoor Hospital patients and staff, living, working and The Museum of Reading is hosting an wished to transfer its historic archive learning together, amongst the pine exhibition to mark the completion of to us, and we were very pleased to say trees of Bracknell Forest. And it is the BRO’s project to catalogue and conserve yes. Of course, that was just the start history of this community that is now Broadmoor’s records. Held at the Town of the story. Various lorries and vans available to all. Hall, Blagrave Street, Reading from 8 have made their way from Crowthorne November 2008 to 22 February 2009, to Reading since, and each time we While The Secret World of Victorian come along to view documents and have decanted the contents into our Broadmoor exhibition is on at the artefacts never before seen by the public. strongrooms. We have made three Museum of Reading, BRO will be hosting The exhibition also includes paintings separate approaches to The Wellcome its own exhibition to continue our 60th by Richard Dadd, celebrated artist and Trust for funding, and they have granted anniversary year. This gives us the Broadmoor patient, on loan from Bethlem us over £200,000 towards listing and chance to get out some old favourites Royal Hospital. repairing the collection. The repair from our collections and to acquaint you work will continue for some time to with some new ones, too. The exhibition Quarter Sessions come, but after eighteen months follows on from the great response we A day school on Quarter Sessions of that work, and over two years of had to the 60th anniversary edition of records will be held at BRO on Saturday cataloguing, we are delighted to declare the Echo, and we are looking forward to 14 February 2009 by Dr Peter Durrant. Broadmoor Hospital’s historic archive planning further 60th activities over the Learn more about these valuable but open for research. This is a signifi cant next year. For now though, read on to underused sources for local historians, achievement for BRO and particular fi nd out more about Broadmoor, and to and participate in workshop sessions to thanks must be made to our dedicated see what we’ve done with the records of examine the records themselves. This project staff, Kate Tyte and Rhonda England’s fi rst criminal lunatic asylum. school is run through the University of Niven, who write about their experiences The Broadmoor archive will be Oxford’s Department for Continuing in this Echo. available for research from Tuesday, Education. To enrol, telephone: (01865) 18 November 2008. 270368 or email: [email protected]. Broadmoor is one of those collections where every page tells a story, and often a very vivid story. There are many terribly sad tales of lives destroyed by mental illness, of families broken up and never Mark Stevens Senior Archivist The Berkshire Echo Issue 45 berkshirerecordoffi ce.org.uk [email protected] Uncovering Broadmoor’s Secret History Broadmoor’s main gate (D/H14/C6/1) Broadmoor’s Since Broadmoor Hospital opened in similar items. It was diffi cult both See original records relating 1863, it has gained a reputation as a because of the volume of records, and to these famous patients fascinating and frightening institution. because the records cover a long time and others at The Secret Now that Berkshire Record Offi ce has period (1863-2004). During that time World of Victorian Broadmoor completed a project to catalogue and Broadmoor underwent many changes exhibition, 8 November 2008 conserve the records, its secrets can be in its management structure. It was revealed to the public for the fi rst time. diffi cult to keep track of the various to 22 February 2009 at the management bodies, and fi nd out what Museum of Reading. The During the 1990s the staff and friends they were responsible for, and what Broadmoor archive is available of Broadmoor created a historical records they kept. The problems were for research at BRO from society and began to gather records and intensifi ed because there has been Tuesday, 18 November 2008. artefacts relating the hospital’s history. Staff at Broadmoor, 19th c. (D/H14/B6/1) 19th Broadmoor, at Staff hardly any secondary material written The society aimed to open a museum about special hospitals. at Broadmoor, but there proved to be many obstacles, so in 2004 the historic To overcome these problems, I had to Prisoners, Ghosts and Glass records were deposited at BRO. The phone members of hospital staff, visit Come and see an exhibition collection amounted to over 600 boxes the Parliamentary Archives to view celebrating Berkshire Record of papers, plus over 500 volumes and their records, and spend hours sifting Offi ce’s 60th anniversary. Various other items. through the records themselves to try treasures from our collections to make sense of them. When I began have been brought out especially This huge collection required too this project I could have written what I for display. Open now Tuesdays to much work to be done as part of knew about Broadmoor on the back of a Fridays until 23 January 2008 in routine offi ce work, so the Berkshire postage stamp, and now I am probably the Wroughton Room at BRO. Free; Record Offi ce applied to The Wellcome the world expert! drop in during offi ce hours. Trust’s Research Resources in Medical History funding scheme. It provided an Eventually I was able to identify all the Broadmoor Revisited initial grant of £110,000 for a 2-year records, place them in their context, and BRO’s Mark Stevens will be giving cataloguing and conservation project. create a catalogue that I hope is user- an introduction to Victorian Patient fi les have subsequently been friendly. Broadmoor at the Museum of transferred to BRO, and The Wellcome Reading, Town Hall, Blagrave I know many people will Trust provided an additional £22,000 for Street, Reading. Find out more want to use this fascinating their cataloguing, and £91,000 for their about one of England’s most collection, and I‘m sure conservation. famous institutions at this I won’t remain the world free drop-in event held on 12 I began the daunting task of sorting expert for very long! November from 1:00 – 1:30 pm. and cataloguing the collection in 2006. Kate Tyte I started by listing the location and Archivist, Mental Health Kate Tyte contents of each box, and then grouping Project the records together into series of The Berkshire Echo Issue 45 berkshirerecordoffi ce.org.uk [email protected] FromCase notes: Richard the Dadd BroadmoorCase notes: Revd Henry John DodwellArchives Richard Dadd (1817-1886) was a well-known artist, and is one Revd Henry John Dodwell (1825 – 1900) was fi red from the of Broadmoor’s most famous patients. He studied at the Royal Brighton Industrial School where he was a chaplain in 1878. Academy in London before going on a Grand Tour of Europe, He thought this was unfair, so took legal action against his Egypt and the Holy Lands as the personal artist of Sir Thomas employers. In order to draw attention to his case he fi red a Phillips. During the trip Dadd became mentally ill. He became pistol, loaded with blanks, at a judge. He was tried and found paranoid and believed that the Egyptian God Osiris spoke to insane, and sent to Broadmoor in 1878. him and guided his actions. There was great controversy about his case, because doctors In August 1843 Dadd stabbed and killed his father during a were unable to agree whether he was insane. His case was walk in the countryside at Cobham. He believed he had killed widely discussed in the newspapers and in the House of the devil, and maintained this delusion all his life. Afterwards Commons. The Royal Psychological Society even published he fl ed to France but was caught by the police after attempting a pamphlet about Dodwell, asking for him to be released. In to cut the throat of another traveller. In his pocket was a list 1882 Broadmoor’s doctors, who thought it would be dangerous of names of ‘people who must die’. Dadd was tried and found to release him, were proved right. He attacked Dr Orange, insane, and sent to Bethlem. He remained there for 20 years, Broadmoor’s Medical Superintendent, by hitting him over the and spent his time creating many celebrated paintings. In head with a stone in a handkerchief. He thought this would 1864 he was moved to Broadmoor where he continued with his draw attention to the ‘injustices’ against him. Dr Orange was paintings until he died in 1886. badly injured and resigned because of ill health four years later. Dodwell remained in Broadmoor where he died from heart disease in 1900. Conservation of Broadmoor’s records Rhonda Niven In April 2007 a conservation project collection, the Project Archivist was asked to indicate the to re-package, repair and stabilise priority and expected use of each item, so that conservation the archives of Broadmoor Hospital, work could be concentrated on the most important formerly Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic documents.