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From: JOHN HOLLAND <>
Subject: 2000 in ASYLUM
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1999 10:40:49 -0400


Marg

Just to give you a bit more food for thought, the Metropolitan Asylums were
set up by London authorities for London inmates mainly although surrounding
area admittances also took place.
There was a very very big complex at Epsom known as the Colony; it was so
large it was completely self sufficient with its own farms bakeries etc. It
also had a massive laundry 7 used to provide laundry facilities for most of
the hospitals in the area, and even I think for the London hospitals.
Another point to bear at the back of your mind over inmates was how easy it
was to get committed; it was often the case that if a young girl got into
trouble "pregnant" it quite often happened that her parents would have her
committed, and once in she could spend the rest of her life there; this
happened even into the present century.
Commital could also occur for what we today call senile dementia; we have
come a long way since then.
There was also another huge asylum at Brookwood near Woking, I'm not
certain who ran that, but have found several of my ancestors dying there,
mainly I suspect of senility.

John Holland

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