Poor House Burials

[JimM]

If someone died in the Poor House where would they be buried?

Well if they had relatives who could afford to pay for a burial then the body would be taken from the Poor House and interred at a location decided by the relative.

But what if the pauper had no relatives…. Or relatives who could not afford the burial?

In that case Poor House would dispose of the body…….

The Anatomy act of 1832(brought in as a result of the Burke & Hare scandal) stipulated that the bodies of those maintained by the state (in other words… those in institutions) became the property of the anatomists after death, provided they were not claimed by a relative within 48 hours.
The institution would receive a fee from the anatomists for their troubles.
After "anatomical examination" the remains were to be given a Christian burial – but I would be surprised if any records were kept to police this.

The Demise of the Work house and Poor House meant that by the 1920’s mental institutions had become the main supplier of “material”

The Anatomy act of 1832 was finally repealed in 1984

Jim

[emanday]

My GGGGrandfather died in 1901 and his wife in 1907, both in the workhouse. From what I know about the family at that time I doubt they would have been able to afford a funeral, but I have no doubt they WOULD have claimed the bodies.

Can I assume that they likely went to pauper's graves. I'd certainly rather assume that than the alternative you've described

[JimM]

Hi Mary
I was reluctant to make this post in case anyone was offended
One of my lot died in Gartloch Asylum in 1912…. The records end with “body taken to be buried by friends”
This got me wondering why they would write such a thing!!

I sincerely hope that this was not a common occurrence but given that the institutions received "payment" for the unclaimed bodies…. I have my doubts.

Jim

[emanday]

Hi Jim,

Things were very different back then and I would like to think that most people would take your post as additional information that could be considered potentially useful.

To be honest, till I read it, I hadn't thought about how my rellies coped with the burial costs during a period in which they had all been going through pretty hard times.

Faced with a houseful of hungry children and only a shilling or two in your pocket....?

[Billmalc]

Hi Jim

I found your post very interesting. My GGGGrandmother, Elizabeth Gibson died in Fife & Kinross Lunatic Asylum (now known as Stratheden) in 1884.

I can see your point that some may be offended by the post, but I’m sure that most people, like myself, want to know as much as they can about their ancestors, good or bad.

Personally, I wanted to find out as much as I could about Elizabeth. I knew that she was in the Asylum during the 1871 and 1881 census, but I wanted to know if this was a long-term illness, or if she was in and out over a number of years.

I e-mailed the Archivist at Fife Archives Centre in Markinch, knowing that they held patient records for Stratheden. I was informed that a half hour search of the records would cost £10 and that digital copy of each page could be supplied on disc at a cost of £3.50 per image plus £1.50 for the disc. I decided that it would be worth investing in the half hour search and duly sent my check for £10. I was expecting a confirmation that they had found her in the records and the next step would be to purchase images on disc, which could be expensive, depending on how many there were.

Within a couple of weeks I received an e-mail from the archivist. To my surprise and delight, a two-page word document was attached giving details of Elizabeth, including her symptoms prior to admission, her address, state of health etc. He also included notes of some of her treatments and general condition over the years.

It turned out that Elizabeth was admitted in 1867 and was there until her death. I have to admit that I found this information interesting but also quite disturbing. I now feel a lot closer to Elizabeth and she means more to me now than just a name on a family tree.

But your post now has me wondering what happened to poor Elizabeth’s remains? I know that her husband, Thomas Malcolm died in Leslie in 1878 and I assume that he was buried there. A visit to Leslie cemetery is on my ‘to do’ list, so I must make an effort to get there soon and see if that is indeed where they are both buried.

I think a trip to the Archives at Markinch is also on the cards to see what else might be lurking in the archives!

Regards

Bill

[emanday]

I agree Bill.

I don't regard my rellies as just names, dates and places in a genealogy file. Each and every one of them have taken on a "life" in my mind.

I wonder about their lives. The more I find out, the more I want to know, warts and all!

[Russell]

Hi Bill

I started my professional career working in an Asylum (as a nurse) and even in the 1950's people coming in were most likely to spend the rest of their days in the security of the Asylum. At least in the institution there was some understanding and acceptance of abnormal behaviours even though there were no medicines which had a specific effect on their condition.
One condition which could subside and enable the person to go out into society again was Manic-Depression but most other conditions would continue. Many of my patients outlived their relatives and often the only people at the graveside were members of the hospital staff. We became their substitute family.
None of the hospitals I worked in at any time sold cadavers for medical training and research. Asylums were often quite far from educational centres anyway.

Russell

[JimM]

Hi Russell
Thanks for your input,
My understanding is that prior to WW1 there were practically no voluntary donations for medical research… but then attitudes gradually changed and by the 1950’s almost all the bodies used for research had been donated.

In the earlier years (when bodies were not being donated) the 1832 act meant that those being maintained by government (prisoners and institutional inmates) became the property of the anatomists after death (provided that the body was not claimed by relatives within 48 hours)…..
The Institutions would receive the equivalent of a labourer’s weekly wage for each body handed over… to “recover the costs of their care”.

This law was welcomed by the medical establishment because by 1885 important changes in the training of doctors meant that it was now essential to have two years training in anatomy to pass medical examinations. Therefore more bodies were needed for dissection.
The situation also suited the government in their drive to cut welfare costs.

As usual it was the poorest and most vulnerable members of society who suffered.

Jim

[Alison Plenderleith]

Hello Bill,

If you click on this link you'll find a photo of the Asylum, very kindly taken by LesleyB when I was enquiring about it.
http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... p?pos=-236

Kind regards,

Alison

[Alison Plenderleith]

Hi Jim,

I too was glad you posted that.

I had wondered about it before, but assumed (yes I know one shouldn't assume anything in genealogy ) if they didn't have family or the family didn't have funds they would be given a paupers funeral.

Kind regards,

Alison