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.
george hodgetts
find out more about george hodgetts
George Hodgetts was born at the latter end of 1860 and christened on 8th January 1861 at Warley Salop, Worcestershire to John and Mary Ann (nee Whitehouse) Hodgetts. George’s parents were married at Enville St Mary, Halesowen on 7 August 1860.
The Hodgetts family were farmers within the area of Warley Salop with John (George’s father) continuing this occupation through each census recordings for 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901 until his death between 1901 and 1911.
George was the eldest of four sons and one daughter born to John and Mary Ann. William was born in 1862, John in 1864, Annie Maria in 1867 and Samuel in 1869. Their mother Mary Ann died in 1879 aged 45.
John Hodgetts (age 6) was recorded in the 1841 census as living with his parents John (40) and Hannah (40) his sisters Mariah (15), Sarah (12), Matilda (4) and Amphlis (2) at Hill Top, Warley Salop. A description of Hill Top Farm in the later 1800s can be found in ‘Old Memories of Old Warley’.
Mary Ann’s family (Whitehouse) were also farmers. In 1841 Mary Ann was 8 years old living at Lower Halt Farm, Halesowen, with her parents William (age 30) and Maria (age 28), her elder brother William (10), and younger siblings Sarah (6), John (4) and Joseph (1).
The next recorded mention of George was at 4 months old living with his father John (26) and mother Mary A. (27). John was a dealer and farmer of 70 acres employing three lads and three boys, living at Bleak House Farm, Warley Salop. A description of Bleak House Farm in the later 1800s can be found in ‘Old Memories of Old Warley’.
By 1871 George was ten years old, his parents continued to be farmers but by now the farm had become 123 Acres and John (36) was employing five men. Mary Ann was also 36 and George had been joined by siblings William (8), John (6), Annie Miria [sic] (4) and Samuel (1). John’s uncle Samuel Hodgetts (87 and unmarried) was also living with them. The farm was not named in the census but recorded as being in the village of Cakemore, Halesowen.
George (20) and his brother John (16) were pupil teachers by 1881. His siblings William (18 – farmer’s son) and Annie (14) were also still at home with their father John (46) who was now widowed and a farmer of 100 acres employing six labourers and boys and living at Cakemore House, Cakemore, Halesowen.
George’s father John remarries in 1882 to Jane Merris. The licence for this marriage reads…
“ …on Friday 10th November 1882 appeared personally John Hodgetts of the new parish of S. Paul’s Blackheath in the county of Worcester and Diocese of Worcester, a widower of the age of twenty one years & upwards, farmer, and prayed a Licence for the solemnization of Matrimony in the Parish church of Rowley Regis in the county of Stafford & Diocese of Worcester between him and Jane Merris of the Parish of Rowley Regis…, a widow. Licence sealed 11 Nov 1882. ”
It was on 14 March1887 that George was admitted to the asylum with acute mania. His patient record describes him as…
“…a young man of medium height, slender build, and in somewhat emaciated condition. His face is pale and drawn his pupils dilated. He does not speak, and seems utterly lost to all his surrounding, He is extremely restless ”
George continues to be quite unwell during the subsequent months, not sleeping well and occasionally secluded from the other patients. By late March 1887 George appears to be improving but by May he has relapsed. It is not until October that he starts to improve and on 28 November George was described as calm and rational with excellent health, being removed at that time by his father despite the medical attendant expressing concern that this discharge was considered rather premature.
George continued to live at Cakemore House in 1891 with his father John (56) and stepmother Jane (60) along with his youngest brother Samuel (21).
In 1892 George unfortunately had another relapse being admitted to the asylum on 13 June. After further treatment he was discharged 2nd January 1893. Later in 1893 George was again admitted into the asylum after a third mania attach, eventually being fit for discharge in July 1894.
In the early part of 1900 George married Hannah Smith, and their son George Albert Hodgetts was born at the beginning of 1901. The census for that year records George Snr aged 40, a milkman, born at Warley, with his wife Hannah who was 25 from Black Heath and their two month old son George Albert. They were living at Downing Street, Cakemore. Another son, John Sidney Hodgetts was born in 1905.
George was once again admitted into the asylum in 1905 on 1st February. He was aged 44, from Blackheath, a milk seller, married with one child. It can be assumed that Hannah was pregnant at this time. His religious persuasion is described as Congregationalist. His diagnosis was another manic attack which had lasted five days and again he was not epileptic nor suicidal but was deemed a danger to others. He continues to be treated at the asylum until 23 July 1907 when he had shown no improvment and consequently transferred to Barnsley Hall where he stays for a further two years until his death in 1909.
A digital copy of his death certificate records that he died on 27 June 1909 in the County Lunatic Asylum, Barnsley Hall, North Bromsgrove. He was a milk seller of Holt Road, Cakemore, Halesowen and died of sub-acute nephritis and myo-cardio degeneration.
After his death George’s widow Hannah (nee Smith) age 35 was recorded in the 1911 census as a widow having been married 11 years with two living children and one who has died. She was a milk vendor with her own account, born in Rowley Regis and living at 32 Holt Road, Blackheath. Living with her was John Sidney Hodgetts her son aged 5 years and who was born in Cakemore.
Hannah and George’s other living son, recorded in the 1911 census as Albert George, was with his uncle Samuel (George’s youngest brother), Cakemore House Farm, he was 10 years old.
Despite extensively searching the GRO index it hasn’t been possible to ascertain the name and date of birth of George and Hannah’s third child who died in infancy. This was due to more than one child registered in the area with the surname Hodgetts and the mother’s maiden name Smith.
Hannah marries Albert Price in 1918. In the 1921 census Albert Price was 44 years and 11 months, a mechanical fitter for Butler & Sprag Ltd, Hannah was 45 years and 9 months, a milk vendor with her own account. With Albert and Hannah are Albert Hodgetts (stepson to Albert Price) age 20 years and 5 months, born in Cakemore, a cowman to John Hodgetts farmer of Four Dwellings Farm, Quindon and John Hodgetts (stepson) age 16 years, born in Cakemore and assisting mother in milk business. They were living at 32 Station Lane, Blackheath.
George’s two living children continued to live in the same area into their seventies.
George Albert Hodgetts died in the Dudley registration district during October to December 1973. He was 72 years old, and his date of birth is recorded as 20 January 1901.
John Sidney Hodgetts died in the Stourbridge registration district during October to December 1975 age 70. His date of birth was recorded as 2 June 1905.
References
Ancestry various births, marriages and deaths
Ancestry various census records
Old Memories of Old Warley https://www.historyofoldbury.co.uk/OLD%20MEMORIES%20OF%20OLD%20WARLEY%20BOOK%20e-book.pdf
Ancestry Worcestershire, England, Marriage Licenses, 1661 – 1949 for John Hodgetts.
Worcester Medical Museum, Patient record Mar 1887 – Nov1887 https://theinfirmary.educationhost.co.uk/Patient.php?PatientNo=5400
Worcester Medical Museum Patient record Jun 1892 – Jan 1893
https://theinfirmary.educationhost.co.uk/Patient.php?PatientNo=6405
Worcester Medical Museum Patient record Jun 1893 – July 1894
https://theinfirmary.educationhost.co.uk/Patient.php?PatientNo=6611
FreeBMD https://www.freebmd.org.uk/
GRO index https://www.gro.gov.uk/
Worcester Medical Museum Patient record 1905 – 1907/ 1909
https://theinfirmary.educationhost.co.uk/Patient.php?PatientNo=8959
Research by Sandra Weir 2026.
To view George’s patient records, click here.
Go back to find out about more people who were patients at the asylum.