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.

benjamin hipkiss

find out more about benjamin hipkiss

Research by the 3 x great grandson of Benjamin Hipkiss. The research below was composed to use on the ‘memories’ page on the FamilySearch genealogy website.

Benjamin Hipkiss was born about 1807 or 1808, and was baptized at St. Giles, Rowley Regis, Staffordshire on 27 March 1808.  He was the son of Rowley Regis locals, Josh. and Mary (Tilley) Hipkiss.  Of their children, Benjamin was the youngest with three older sisters and three older brothers. All four of the boys followed in their father's footsteps and became butchers. 

Benjamin married Eliza Griffiths on 15 April 1827 at St. Mary Church, Kingswinford, Staffordshire (I'm not certain who her parents were).  At some point, the young couple moved to Netherton, where they lived and worked at Primrose Hill, likely for their entire lives.   Daughter Mary Jemima Griffiths Hipkiss was born at Netherton on 8 July 1828 and Christened at St. Thomas Church, Dudley on 12 July 1829.  Son William Hipkiss was born on 22 November 1833  and was Christened 15 May 1836 at St. Thomas Dudley.  Joseph Griffiths Hipkiss was Christened at St. Thomas, Dudley on 10 May 1835.  In the Pigot's National Directory for 1835, Benjamin was listed as a butcher at Primrose Hill, Netherton, Worcestershire.  One older brother, Richard, was listed as a butcher at Bumble Hole.  At the time of the census in 1841, the family was at Primrose Hill, Dudley, Worcestershire and consisted of... 

•           Benjamin Hipkiss (age) 25 Butcher

•           Eliza Hipkiss 25

•           Jemima Hipkiss 10

•           William Hipkiss 8

•           Edmund Hipkiss 4

•           Thomas Hipkiss 1

*...adults in 1841 were to round their ages down to the nearest 5 years

*...I had been concerned that 5 year old son Joseph had been glaringly absent from this listing.  I believe that I have recently found him in the household of his grandmother Mary Hipkiss 78 at Black Heath, Rowley Regis, Staffordshire.

*...I have not yet found any Christening records for the 3 youngest Hipkiss children.]

Son Edmund, if he actually was age 4, was likely born in 1837.  According to handwritten notes by my great grandfather, he had that his father, Thomas "Griffish" Hipkiss was born on 8 December 1839 at Primrose Hill.  The other daughter and youngest child was Keziah Hipkiss, born about 1846 based on what I can interpret from the 1851 census. 

The 1840-1842 edition of the Bentley's Directory of Worc has only one Hipkiss Butcher with a shop in operation that is listed. That was Richard, operating in Netherton, not Benjamin.  In there is another long listing of.....

From that, I  would speculate that Richard was in Netherton and younger brother Benjamin was working with, or for him.  On the 1841 census, oldest brother William was living in Knowle as a "Farmer" and unmarried brother Joseph was living in that household, working as a "Butcher", perhaps at Netherton, a mile or so away for Richard as well. 

From the Worcestershire Chronicle on Wednesday 09 February 1848, Benjamin had a rather curious run-in with the law reported...

The only explanation that I can conceive of...is that John Powell had been working for Benjamin as a butcher and had decided that he would quit and he found better work elsewhere. 

On the 1851 census, instead of a missing child, I believe that the census taker accidentally inserted an extra son "William" by mistake.  On that listing from Primrose Hill, Dudley, Staffordshire, (at that time), the family was listed as...

•           Benjamin Hipkiss 42 Butcher

•           Eliza Hipkiss 44 wife

•           William Hipkiss 16 son

•           William Hipkiss 14 son

•           Joseph Hipkiss 12 son

•           Edmund Hipkiss 8 son

•           Thomas Hipkiss 7 son

•           Keziah Hipkiss 7 daughter

 Living in the same place but as a separate household were... 

•           Edward Parkes 22 Coal Miner and

•           Jemima Parkes 22  

(oldest daughter, Mary Jemima, had married James on 29 May 1849 at Christ' s Church, Oldbury). 

The 1851 census was based on who was in the household on the night of 30 March 1851.  From the known birthdates, Benjamin would be 43 (at least)...Eliza (about the same)...Jemima at 22 was correct...William should be 18...Joseph was 16 (or older)...Edmund ?? (I assume is the 14 year old based on the 1841 census)...Thomas was 11...Keziah was likely 7. 

I was about to say that all of Benjamin and Eliza's children lived to adulthood and married but that is not likely.  The children that I've found baptisms for or that lived until the 1841 and 1851 censuses all lived to adulthood but with the gaps between the known children, it is likely that there are more that aren't known. 

I haven't seen the 1861 census for Benjamin and by 1871, from what I believe, the only one of this family still alive was the youngest daughter Keziah. 

Burials from the immediate family of Benjamin and Eliza Hipkiss in the 1850s and 1860s...

Jemima 2 1855

William 2 Feb 1862

Eliza 4 Dec 1864

Thomas 25 Dec 1864

Joseph 19 Mar 1865

Edmund 28 May 1865

I know that on the death record for his son Thomas in 1864, Benjamin was listed as the informant. 

Nothing is known about Benjamin Hipkiss after that until the day of his admission to Powick on April 29, 1869.  From the photographic image of that record page, I can say that his age "48" is way off.  He was more likely 61 or 62 at that time.  That page I have transcribed below...

Transcription from case notes:-

Mania Acute Butcher Wesleyan Can read and write.

He is of spare habit of body and of nervo-sanguine temperament.  The expression of his countenance is wild, unsettled and excited.  He is in a feeble and reduced state of bodily health and is suffering from Chronic Bronchitis.  The present attack is stated to be of two weeks duration.

His certificate states that he is under the delusion that he is possessed of a large sum of money - he told the Certifier that he had bought a large number of horses for Sir Robert Peel and other gentlemen. Prior to his admission to the Dudley Workhouse he made an attempt to injure a man with a knife.  Is not epileptic or suicidal.  Is a danger to others.

The causes of the present attack of mental illness are stated to be domestic affliction and pecuniary difficulties.  This is his first attack of mental illness.

May 4th 1870 Died of Exhaustion from General Paralysis of about one years duration. 

At that time period, Benjamin's cause of death "Exhaustion from General Paralysis" more than likely was a result of a long term case of Syphilis.  Four days later on 8 May 1870, Benjamin Hipkiss of Powick, was buried at St. Andrew, Netherton.  That record gave his age as 64...still not correct, but a lot closer.  At that time, of his descendants, Benjamin was survived by only his youngest daughter, Keziah (Hipkiss) Hill and 8 grandchildren (that I know of).

Research by Lee Hipkiss, 2025.

To view William’s patient records, click here.

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