Bedford Lunatic Asylum
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The Bedford lunatic asylum was built in 1812 and was the second of its kind in England. The opening of the asylum was due to the passing of the Lunacy Act in 1808. It was opened for forty-eight years and closed in 1860 because the asylum was not improving its patient’s health.[1]
[edit] History
Before the lunacy act of 1808 and the building of the Bedford Lunatic Asylum, only the rich could afford treatment for physical or mental ailments. Although the wealthy had money to pay for treatment, the techniques available at the time were neither safe nor humane. "Purges, vomiting and restraint were standard treatments in an age which considered ‘raving madness’ and melancholia to be caused by physical malfunctions like any other disease."[2]
The passage of the Lunacy Act of 1808 allowed counties to build their own asylums with their own money.[2]
After the passing of the lunacy act changes started being made to help any person with mental illnesses. Samuel Whitbred was the mastermind behind most of the asylum. He concentrated on reforming the town after he failed at his attempt of becoming successful in the political office. Samuel Whitbreds true intentions with the asylum have always been a debate. At the time, Bedford was a small town that needed many improvements, bridges needed to be restored and the town was lacking in industry. It is definitely a question of whether or not his heart was in it for the people or in it for himself and good publicity. Even so in April 1812, Whitbred succeeded his goal. The Bedford Lunatic Asylum, designed by John Wing opened its doors. The asylum however did not exceed the expectations of the people though. Doctors, nurses, and other in the medical field still had much ignorance in taking care of the mentally sick. This caused them to use basic yet harsh measures to help cure them. Straightjackets and handcuffs were the tools utilized the most in the asylum. The attendants had big tasks to fulfill in their daily chores at work.
Not only did the attendants have to stress over the restraint of the patients, but they also had to bathe them, dress them and help them through their daily exercises. The attendants were stressed to understand that the patients were sick and should not be held accountable for the things they say and do.[2] Doctors could not decipher what would cure these people and in choosing the type of doctor to help treat the patients was also debated. If the lack of knowledge of how to take care of the patients wasn’t enough, the asylum would run into other disastrous problems.
In 1845, thirty-three years after the opening of the asylum, Bedford ran into another problem. Parliament had created a new act stating that other counties had to either build their own asylum or buddy up with another. Seeing as how many other counties didn’t branch out from the lunacy act like Bedford, neighboring counties would probably request bunking up with the most local asylum.[2]
There were now twice as many inmates in the asylum and not enough staff to help with their needs. Bedford’s neighboring counties, Hertfordshire and Huntingdonshire, were the two asylums that decided to team up and finally get on the lunatic asylum bandwagon. Soon after the three counties combined asylums, the Bedford Lunatic Asylum was shutdown.[2] It was seen as “unsuitable” for patients.
The site of which the asylum used to be at is now a housing residence. As for the bodies of any patient that died at the hospital, they are now buried underneath the children’s playground.[1]
