OUTSIDE THE ASYLUM

Can you help George Marshall Medical Museum with a spot of family history research to find out about some people who were admitted to the Worcester City and County Lunatic Asylum in the 19th century?

Our aim is to share more patients’ stories, and to find out about their lives before admission and (where possible) after discharge.

arthur malpas(s)

find out more about arthur malpas(s)

Arthur Malpass was born in 1856, in Stourbridge, Worcestershire, and was baptised on November 16 in the parish of Old Swinford (now Oldswinford). His parents were Henry Malpass, a Warehouseman and Eliza Malpass (née Nicklin) and they lived on Duncombe Street in Wollaston. The 1871 census shows that as a child, Arthur Malpass worked as a Railway Porter.

Arthur married Eliza Billiald in 1880, and they lived together in Stourbridge, not far from where he grew up. He worked as a Post Office Clerk, later being promoted to Chief of Clerk.

Arthur and Eliza had many children together, although a number of them did not survive; their 10-year-old daughter Flora, their 5-year-old daughter Ethel, and their baby Hubert all died in 1893.

Within a year, Arthur had been admitted to Staffordshire Asylum, and was later transferred to Powick Asylum, where he spent the rest of his life.

During his time at Powick, he suffered from depression, suicidal ideation, and hallucinations. The cause of his death is unknown, but Arthur Malpass passed away on the 14th of November 1911.

His wife Eliza moved to Wolverhampton, where she had grown up, with their two children, Frederick and Eva, where Eva Malpass worked as a Restaurant Waitress.

Arthur’s son Frederick Malpass had begun working as a Cabinet Maker, and married Gertrude Emma Evans in 1908 in Wolverhampton, where the couple then lived together.

Research by Maddie Hale, 2021.