Larbert Lunatic Asylum

[Anniespangles]

Hi,I was wondering just a couple of things,you see I am trying to fing where my great grandmother Annie Porterfield (nee )Sweeney may have been buried.She died at the Asylum in June 1923 age 41.She had a very sad and difficult life being abandoned by her own Sweeney family for marrying my great grand dad Charles, who was protestant where as they were Irish Roman Catholic.The the said Charles (McGregor) Porterfield had a big drink problem and it has been said that he left her short of money and that she would starve to feed her children,Ive heard it said she was one of the first women in Dumbarton to smoke Anyway Annie and Charles had 4 children in 5 yrs and I think she suffered from post natal depression ,which eventually lead to her going into Larbert Asylum.Her death certificate says she died fron exaustion brought on from acute melancholia.Four years later Charles McGregor died gastric cancer aged just 45. The announcement of Charles death only talks about him as a loving son and father,his wife Annie was not mentioned.My great aunts their daughters and my papa their son never spoke of their Mum Annie and as a family we knew nothing of Annie until about 10 yrs ago when my uncle did some searching.I would appear poor Annie brought percieved shame on both her birth family and her own due to the thoughts of the world in the time she lived,From her birth family the percievd shame, guilt, sin, whatever by marrying outside her families faith and from her own family for becoming mentally ill,saddness,embarassment,guilt,fear all jumbled together in her young families hearts.Now if Larbert Asylum was RC managed then there is a chance that her sister came for her and had her admitted there,which means I may find her under her maiden name of Annie Sweeney.Its worth a pop.I found Annies parents grave and in with her parents was her older siste(d.1935) wich makes me hope that Annie might be in her sisters families lair and by the time her sister died that lair was full so she (the older sis) had to go in with her parents?What do you think?Phew sorry for such a long post.

[joette]

It might be worth trying to find her hospital records-as you are a direct descendant they may be willing to share information from their records.
I know Greater Glasgow archives are in Glasgow University-I was very kindly given info re my Great-Grandmother's admission to hospital-reason for admission,treatment,lengthy of stay & who paid for treatment(my Great-Grandfather's employer's-he was in prison at the time!)
Larbert latterly was under the auspices of Argyll & Clyde Health board-where their Archives are held I'm not sure but Glasgow University seems a likely source.
Any connection to the Clydebank Sweeney's who had a couple of grocer's /ice cream vans? I remember them well.

[Anniespangles]

Hi Joette,I have a rough idea that her records are squirrled away in a cupboard in the department of history and politics at Stirling Uni.I spoke to a Dr Jim Smith who told me the Uni had taken on the records from Larbert Asylum a couple of years ago from Falkirk Council .Stirling Uni were hopeing to be given funding to catalogue all the records but that fell through sadly ; so now all the records are locked away unorganised and if I want my great grand mums records then I will have to send in as much info on her as possible and hope that a kind student will volunteer to have a look for me.That may take some time.To my knowledge my Sweeneys had no connection to Clydebank but they are in Dumbarton so maybe ,they are a big clan! Iknow only a small amount about the Sweeneys only via Scotlands People,there seem to have been a huge falling out when my great grand parents married,my papa who died just 2 yrs ago age 94 never knew his grandparent infact he barely spoke about his mum.Thanks Joette if I have no joy from Stirling Uni then I will extend my search out to Glasgow Uni and listen to what they have to say.Thanks Anne.

[nelmit]

Have you tried newspapers for a family notice? What date in June did she die?

Regards,
Annette

[Anniespangles]

Hi Annette,Yip Ive looked in local papers for that time but the family must have been feeling the sitigma of mental illness in the family that no one mentioned it ever not until very recently when my uncle and I did some searching.So there is no mention of her in any local papers and infact when her hubby died 4 yrs later in 1927 she was not mentiond at all in his deaths announcement just his parents.Its all a bit sad, I feel so much for this young woman.

[AndrewP]

Hi Anne,

For some more info, see:
http://www.falkirkcommunitytrust.org/he ... istory.pdf

All the best,

AndrewP

[Anniespangles]

Thankyou!

[Anniespangles]

Just to let everyone know ,I had a major development this morning! I have found Annies grave at Larbert Cementery,Iam so happy about this and hope to make the visit there soon and lay some flowers.Next step is to find her admission date and then with some hope see if I can find her records via NAS .Phoned them yesterday and they tell me there is 100yr closure on them but since there is no one left alive who knew her ,and there is a family medical issue and as I am a direct desendant I am hopeful I can appeal the 100yr lock down.Fingers crossed we'll see.

[joette]

=D> =D> =D> =D> =D> So happy for you great news.I had no problem accessing the Archives at all once I proved my link & despite being under 100 years ago was given the info.
Mental illness still carries a stigma so can only imagine the stigma that was around then.
Alas too there is still religious bigotry around although happy to report that my family happily socialise & visit each others religious ceremonies.Know too many families that are divided by bigotry.

[Anniespangles]

Thanks Joette,My Mum and my Uncle are happy people today too for the discovery of Annie ,I spent yesterday afternoon banging my head of a brick wall,I just could not get passed the woman at Falkirk council who promised me she was not there but luckily the lovely woman at the Falkirk archive said she had a registar of all interments at Larbert cemetery that included my ggrandmothers date and TA DA! there she was ,buried with 9 others mainly from the asylum but with her own lair number.One day when the weather picks up I will travel over and "see" her.So So HAPPY! Did you find it hard to prove who you were to see your relatives records? Did you have to show birth certificates and did you have state a medical reason to gain acsess?