The Accommodation, Experiences and Concerns of the Mentally Unwell Poor in Mid-nineteenth Century Leeds

Abstract Prior to the implementation of the Poor Law Amendment Act, the provision for the mentally ill poor in the nineteenth century was founded in local welfare mechanisms. Township administrations had several choices for their accommodation: pension type payments or casual relief to help maintain them in their homes in the community; admittance to the workhouse; or application to the county asylum. Analysis of the case notes of patients treated in the West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum at Stanley Royds near Wakefield, correlated with local records, permits an investigation into the concerns, experiences and beliefs of those admitted there. In so doing it reveals the social, religious and economic preoccupations which may have contributed to illness, and provides a rich insight into the lives of the poor in mid-nineteenth century Leeds.