FIND OUT MORE ABOUT elizabeth coopeR (1834- ?)

Patient No 2923 Admitted from Burntwood Asylum, age 38, married, wife of Beer House keeper.

Mania Puerperal – recovered

Admission date 30 Nov 1872

Discharged 3 Mar 1873 recovered

No 2867 Mania.  Church of England

This is her first attack of Insanity of now about nine weeks duration, the supposed cause being drink.  She is not epileptic or dangerous to others but is suicidal.

When admitted into the Burntwood Asylum (early in October) her certificate stated that her speech was incoherent & rambling, that she had refused her food, destroyed her clothes, broken windows & told her servant that she intended to destroy herself by taking salts of lemon.  

She is pale, anaemic, thin & delicate in appearance, a murmur accompanies the first cardiac sound, lungs apparently normal.  Her mental state is wandering & confused, occasionally she will answer a question correctly, then immediately afterwards she will begin to talk in a rambling & deluded style, gazing into vacancy & taking no notice of anything about her.  

1872 Dec 22.  Has considerably improved in her mental state since admission, is more intelligent & does not display the same amount of vacancy & delusion that the formerly did.  Is useful & industrious in her habits.  Is probably some months advanced in pregnancy. 

1873 Jany 28

Has gone on well since last entry.  Gives no trouble, is quiet, coherent, industrious & useful.  Still complains of illness. 

Feby 3 Was allowed out on trial. 

March 3 Discharged Recovered.   

There are two possible women with the same married name who match the inpatient Elizabeth Cooper, were born about the same time and who married inn/ beerhouse keepers.  These being Elizabeth nee Price (who married Richard Cooper) and Elizabeth nee Griffin/Stone who married Edward Cooper (18 – 1870).  Although definitive evidence to verify which person was the correct patient could not be found there are some clues that strongly suggest Elizabeth nee Price is correct.   

The patient record doesn’t specify where Elizabeth lived stating that she had been transferred from the Burntwood Asylum.  The patient record also states that Elizabeth is married which suggests Elizabeth nee Price is the more likely as Elizabeth nee Griffin is recorded as widowed in the 1871 and 1881 census’ which are either side of her admission.  Evidence also shows that Edward Cooper died in 1870.   

Elizabeth’s patient record mentions that she is probably some months advanced in pregnancy which is another clue that suggests that this patient is Elizabeth nee Price who had a child (Arthur) 16 April 1873.   

1.Elizabeth Price (1836 - ?)

Marriage:

Richard Cooper (Innkeeper, carter) m Elizabeth Price 20 March 1865 Hartlebury, Worcestershire 

Children:

8 Jul 1866 (chr) George John son of Richard & Elizabeth Cooper, Bourn Heath, Inn Keeper

[GRO J. Quarter 1866 Bromsgrove, mother’s ms Price]

1870 Mary [Elizabeth] Cooper (chr 16 Nov 1870 Bourneheath, Catshill, Worcestershire)

[GRO J. Quarter 1870 Bromsgrove, mother’s ms Price]

1873 Arthur [Henry] Cooper

[GRO J. Quarter 1873 West Bromwich mother’s ms Price – digital image 16 April 1873 Heathfield Road, father Richard Cooper, mother Elizabeth Cooper formerly Price, Carter]

1876 Constance Cooper (chr as an adult 2 Apr 1892 Handsworth, St Mary, Staffordshire)

[GRO M. Quarter 1876 West Bromwich mother’s ms Price]

Census Records

1871 census Bournheath Catshill

Richard Cooper married 37 [1834] Innkeeper born in Nottinghamshire, Willoughby

Elizabeth 35 born in Hartlebury

George 5 born in Bromsgrove

Mary 1 born in Bromsgrove 

1881 census 23 Heathfd Rd Hansworth

Richard Cooper married 46 [1835] Willoughby, Nottinghamshire

George Cooper 14

Mary Cooper 11

Arthur Cooper 7

Constance Cooper 5 

No further documented evidence could be found relating to Elizabeth (nee Price) Cooper.

Richard is recorded in the 1881, 1891 census records as married, although Elizabeth could not be found living at this or another address. Richard then married Harriet Pratt (nee Cooksey) in 1897 claiming to be a widowed.

2. Elizabeth Griffin/Stone (1837 – ?)

Despite the same married name, age and location, the following evidence suggests that this Elizabeth is not the one in the patient records.  

Edward Cooper (Innkeeper) m Elizabeth Griffin 14 December 1854 Hartlebury, Worcestershire. 

Edward Cooper 1834 – 1870 [death registered March quarter 1870 Droitwich age 42] 

Children: N.B. Elizabeth went by the maiden name of Stone in some cases and Griffin in others.  Census records confirm that this is the same person. 

Thomas Edward Cooper c. 12 Dec 1855 Waresley, Publican. Hartlebury

[GRO D. Quarter 1855 Droitwich, mother’s ms Stone]

Henry S[amuel] Cooper c. 24 Feb1858 Waresley, Publican.  Hartlebury

[GRO D. Quarter 1857 Droitwich, mother’s ms Stone]

Francis William Cooper c. 24 Feb 1858 Waresley, Publican. Hartlebury

[GRO D. Quarter 1856 Droitwich, mother’s ms Griffin]

John Cooper c. 2 Feb 1861 Waresley, Publican, Hartlebury

[GRO M Quarter 1860 Droitwich mother’s ms Stone]

Alfred Griffin Cooper c.7 Jany 1863 Inn Lane, publican, Hartlebury

[GRO M. Quarter 1862 Droitwich mother’s ms Stone]

Frederick Ernest Cooper c.11 Sep 1864, Inn Lane, publican, Hartlebury

[GRO S. Quarter 1864 Droitwich, mother’s ms Stone]

George Henry Cooper

[GRO M. Quarter 1865 Droitwich mother’s ms Griffin]

Charles Alexander Cooper, c. 10 Feb [1866], Inn Lane, Hartlebury

[GRO M. Quarter 1867 Droitwich, mother’s ms Stone]

Alice Cooper  [GRO M. Quarter 1867 Droitwich mother’s ms Griffin]

Elizabeth Cooper c. 20 Mar1869, Inn Lane, publican, Hartlebury

[GRO Elizabeth Cooper S. Quarter 1869 Droitwich mother’s ms Stone]

[died 0, GRO Elizabeth Cooper D. Quarter 1869 Droitwich]

Richard [Lingen] Cooper c. 10 April 1870, Inn Lane, publican, Hartlebury

[GRO M. Quarter 1868 Droitwich, mother’s ms Stone]

Samuel Griffin Cooper [supposed father Edward Cooper died 1870]

[GRO D. Quarter 1872 Droitwich, mother’s ms Griffin]

Mary Ann Cooper [GRO J. Quarter 1877 Droitwich mother’s ms Griffin]

1861

Edward Cooper 35 [1826] Farmer and Inn Keeper, Hartlebury

Elizabeth Cooper 28 [1833], Hartlebury

Francis W Cooper 4, Hartlebury

Henry Thos Cooper 3, Hartlebury

John G Cooper 1, Hartlebury

1871   Talbot Inn, Hartlebury

Elizabeth Cooper head, wid 34 [1837] Inn Keeper, Hartlebury

Henry S. son 14 Hartlebury

John son 12 Hartlebury

Alfred son 10 Hartlebury

Ernest son  8 Hartlebury

Charles son 5 Hartlebury

Richard 3 Hartlebury

Emily Warrington servt unm 20

1881 Sandy Lane, Hartlebury

Elizabeth Cooper 48 [1833] widow retired beer house keeper

Richard Cooper 13 [1868]

Research by Sandra Weir, 2026

To view Elizabeth’s patient records, click here.

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