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.

esther crouch

find out more about ellen cull

Ellen is reported to have been aged 40 on admission on 24 July 1906. Her address is given as 20 Cumberland Street, Worcester, where according to her patient record, she was living for about a month with a Mrs Noyes. Further investigation into the address and Mrs Noyes retrieved no useful information.  Ellen stayed in the asylum until her death in 1917. 

To ensure that all possibilities were retrieved and either included or eliminated the search includes variations of Ellen including Hel* and Eleanor.  The results below also include those of the same name who have been eliminated including the reasons why.   

After considerable research two people were found, either of whom could be the Ellen Cull who was admitted into the asylum.

 1)      Ellen Cull [eldest of six children]

o   1866 Birth registration December quarter Kidderminster. 

o   1866 Christening 25 Dec, St Mary & All Saints, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England.

Father Henry (weaver), Mother Eliza [nee Wyatt]  

o   1871 Census, Swan Lane Bewdley/Stourport /Lower Mitton

• Henry Cull Head Mar 29 Worsted weaver, Kidderminster

• Eliz Cull Wife mar 24 Kidderminster

• Hellen dau 4 Kidderminster

• Emma dau 1mo Stourport 

o   1881 Census Upper Mitton, New Town,

• Henry Cull Head m. 39 Carpet Weaver Kidderminster

• Eliza wife mar 35 Rug Weaver, Kidderminster

• Ellen dau unm 15 carpet works, sweeper, Kidderminster

• Emma dau 11 scholar Stourport

• Fanny dau 6 Stourport

• Albert son 3 scholar Stourport 

o   1885 registration of marriage to Joseph Fyfield Kidderminster. Full registration document not accessed.

o   1888 Birth registration September quarter:  Henry Matthew Fyfield mother’s maiden surname Cull.

o   1888 christening 31 August  Lower Mitton, Worcester, father Joseph Fyfield Labourer / mother Ellen, living at Mitton Mill Droitwich.

o   1889 death registration December quarter Kidderminster Henry Matthew Fyfield. 

o   1889 December burial Matthew Henry Fyfield age 1 Kidderminster. 

o   1890 birth registration December quarter Kidderminster Sarah Joyce Fyfield mother’s maiden surname Cull. 

o   1890 death registration December quarter Kidderminster Sarah Joyce Fyfield age 0. 

o   1891 census no further evidence found for Ellen nor Joseph (emigrated, died, remarried?) 

o   1901 census no further evidence found 

o   1911 census no further evidence found 

2.      Ellen Cull [Second eldest of six children]

o   1862 Birth registration December quarter Cheltenham  

o   1863 christened 3 February St Paul, Cheltenham Father Joseph Wall Cull, Painter & Mary [nee Watkins] living at Nulloch Cottages, Cheltenham.   

o   1871 census Broomy Hill St Nicholas Hereford

• Mary Cull Head marr 20 wife of Joseph Cull born Herefordshire, Kingstow

• Ellen dau 8 scholar, Born Cheltenham

• William son 6 born Wolverhampton

• Walter son 1 born Wolverhampton  

o   1881 Census Waterworks Road, Claines, Worcestershire

• [living with paternal Aunt, Mary Ann Munn (nee Cull)]

• James Munn Head marr 49 Retired confectioner born in Worcester

• Mary A. Munn wife 51 born in Bristol

• Ellen Cull niece unm 18 Domestic Servant born in Cheltenham

o   1891 Census not found 

o   1901 Waterworks Road, Claines, Worcester

• living with paternal Aunt, Mary Ann Munn (nee Cull).  Aunt is now widowed [Mary Ann Mann (nee Cull is the sister to Joseph Wall Cull].

• Mary A Munn Head wid age 71 Living on own means, born in Bristol

• Ellen Cull niece s[ingle] 38 born in Cheltenham

Information retrieved subsequent to being admitted into the Asylum. 

o   1911 Census

• E. Cull, patient age 44 married* no occupation, Unknown birth place [Lunatic – not known how long].  [

• N.B. *As all other details match so this may be an error OR reference to her being single in other documents may be incorrect.

o   1917 Death registration  

o   1917 Burial Ellen Cull Powick Asylum, 29 March  age 51 years, Claines S. George, Worcester 

o   1917 Probate Calendar Ellen Cull of Worcester City Asylum, Powick nr Worcester, spinster, died 25 Mar 1917 Administration London 7 February to the Public Trustee.  Effects £317 7s.  [no other details]. 

Also found during the original search but eliminated.  

3.      Ellen Cull, 1861 Cheltenham, died 1861. Eliminated as died in infancy - older sister to 2.

4.      Ellen Cull 

• Birth registered ¾ 1863 Evesham

• chr 16 Aug 1863 Honeybourne, Worcestershire to James and Hannah (nee Cotton) Cull. 

• m. Charles Bodfish 1 Dec 1888 at St James Ashted, Warwickshire (Father James Cule signal man). 

• Subsequent census records give her place of birth as Honeybourne.  She appears in the 1901, 1911 and 1921 census’ and her death is registered in 1953 this is enough evidence to say that this is not the Ellen Cull who was admitted to the Asylum in 1906.

Additional possibles – Freebmd search surname Cull, spouse first name Ellen, Worcestershire area. 

5.      Ellen Cull wife of George Cull eliminated as continues in subsequent census’ etc. 

6.      Ellen Harris m. William James Cull, ¾ 1897 Cheltenham (eliminated – recorded in subsequent census’ etc after 1906)

• Marriage 30 Sept 1897 Prestbury 

• William James Cul 25 B. Shoemaker, High St, Prestbury, Father James Cull, gardener m. Ellen Harris 26 Noverton, Father John Harris, Labourer.  Witnesses John Harris, Rose Harris, William Gooding. 

Searching marriage registrations index (Freebmd) ‘Ellen’ who married Cull.  Results bring back four people per page, therefore needing further research to determine which of the four were couples.  

7.      Ellen Taylor m. William Cull 2/4 1881 Birmingham. Further research shows he m. Susan Fanny Turner 

8.      Ellen O’Leary possibly m. Charles Cull?  ¾ 1886 Dudley. Further research shows he m. Annie Weed 

9.      Ellen Farr m. Thomas Cull 2/4 1894 Hereford eliminated as on 1911 census  

10. Ellen Challis m. possibly m. Richard Cull? ¾ 1895 Kings N.Further research shows he m.Hannah Adkins 

11. William Cull m Eleanor Ethel Brookes ¼ 1904 Cheltenham eliminated as there are records after 1906  

Resources used

Ancestry https://www.ancestry.co.uk/

• England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915

• Gloucestershire, England Church of England Baptisms, 1813 – 1913

• Worcestershire, England, Church of England Birth and Baptisms, 1812-1922

• England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915

• Worcestershire, England Church of England Deaths and Burials 1813 – 1997

• England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858 – 1995)

• 1861 England Census

• 1871 England Census

• 1881 England Census

• 1891 England Census

• 1901 England Census

• 1911 England Census

• UK, Lunacy Patients Admissions Registers, 1846 – 1921

• England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916 – 2007

• Worcestershire, England Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813 – 1997 

Freebmd https://www.freebmd.org.uk/

Research by Sandra Weir, 2026.

Go back to find out about more people who were patients at the asylum.