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.
joseph hartland
find out more about joseph hartland
Joseph Hartland was born in 1856 and baptised on 13 July that year in Ombersley, Worcestershire. His parents, James Hartland and Sarah Brookes, were married on 14 March 1837 in Birmingham and went on to have eleven children. Three of their children died at a young age; Joseph was the tenth-born, arriving when Sarah was about 45 years old.
In the 1861 census Joseph is recorded living at Old Field, Ombersley, with his parents and five siblings. By 1871, the family had moved to the Public House in Sytchampton, where Joseph lived with his parents and four siblings. His father’s occupations were recorded variously as labourer, fruiterer, and market gardener.
On 15 December 1873, aged about 18, Joseph was admitted to the Worcester City and County Lunatic Asylum. His case notes state: “This is a case of congenital mental deficiency. He is neither epileptic nor suicidal but is dangerous to others. His certifier states that he is unable to fix his attention on any subject… is very violent to those about him and that he has a vacant and meaningless expression.”
There is no indication that any of Joseph’s siblings shared his disability; most married and led typical lives. When Joseph entered the asylum, both his parents were around sixty years old, and his early case notes suggest that they may have faced significant challenges managing his behaviour as he reached adulthood.
In time, the routine of asylum life appeared to provide Joseph with stability. He contributed to work on the farm and around the asylum where he was able. His mental condition was described as unchanged throughout his life, though he remained physically healthy.
Joseph spent the rest of his life at the asylum, where he died on 17 April 1918, aged 62.
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Births index (CR) England & Wales. RD Droitwich, [Worcestershire]. 2nd Q., 1856. HARTLAND, Joseph. Vol. 06C. p. 378. https://www.gro.gov.uk : accessed 11 October 2025.
Baptisms (PR) England. Ombersley, Worcestershire. 13 July 1856. HARTLAND, Joseph. Collection: Worcestershire, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1812-1922. https://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 11 October 2025.
Marriages (PR) England. Birmingham, Warwickshire. 14 March 1837. HARTLAND, James and BROOKES, Sarah. Collection: Birmingham, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1939. https://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 11 October 2025.
Census records. England. Ombersley, Worcestershire. 07 April 1861. HARTLAND, James (head). PN 2110. FL 7. SN 77. ED 15. p. 14. https://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 11 October 2025.
Census records. England. Ombersley, Worcestershire. 02 April 1871. HARTLAND, James (head). PN 3068. FL 7. SN 60. ED 1. p. 11. https://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 11 October 2025.
Deaths index (CR) England & Wales. RD Upton on Severn, [Worcestershire]. 2nd Q., 1918. HARTLAND, Joseph. Vol. 06C. p. 146. https://www.gro.gov.uk : accessed 11 October 2025.
Research by Vicky Thompson, 2025.
To view Joseph’s patient records, click here.
Go back to find out about more people who were patients at the asylum.