paul augustus taylor

paul augustus taylor

On first reading Taylor’s case notes, one wonders why he was admitted to Powick Lunatic Asylum. Aged only 18 on admission on 3 January 1893, his admission notes read ‘This is his first attack of four weeks duration the supposed cause being unknown. He has been idiotic in his conduct for four years past being in the habit of smoking & standing at street corners.’ This sounds like typical teenage behaviour to me and these days would probably be overlooked.

But the notes continue ‘His Certifier states he is continually raving, talking and shouting. Swears and curses those around and talks all sorts of nonsense about the theatre […] prostitutes, and many other subjects, in an incoherent manner.’ Unacceptable anti-social behaviour perhaps, but was it bad enough to warrant his confinement to an asylum?

Paul Augustus Taylor was born, probably in August 1873, in Barbourne. He was baptised on 31 August in St Stephen’s Church. His parents’ names are given as Charles William and Alice, and their address as Ombersley Road. Charles’ occupation is noted as Assistant Overseer.

Charles’ age on the 1841 census is given as six months. The census date that year was 6 June, so Charles must have been born either late in 1840 or early in 1841. His parents were William and Mary, and he had an older sister, Elizabeth. William’s profession is noted as ‘blks’, possibly an abbreviation for ‘blacksmith’. The family lived in Spring Gardens in Claines.

Alice’s parents were William and Mary Porter, and at the 1841 census they lived in York Place in Worcester. They had two sons, William and Robert, and four daughters, Agnes, Emilia, and twins Annie and Alice, who were nine months old. Alice therefore must have been born in the last quarter of 1840.

Charles and Alice married in St Stephen's Church, Claines, on 8 July 1863. Their son, Charles William Conrad, was baptised in the same church on 21 September 1865, with the family’s address listed as Melbourne Terrace and Charles’ occupation as Law Clerk. By the 1871 census, they had moved to 31 Barbourne Road and had two more sons, Harry and Tom.

In the 1881 census the family were living at 31 Droitwich Road, and had two more children, Paul, whose age is given as 6, and three-year-old Mary Jessie. Paul’s age does not accord with the baptism record. The census in 1881 was taken on 3 April, so if he turned seven later that year, he must have been born in 1874, but the baptism record is dated 1873. Assuming the baptism record to be correct, he must have been at least 19 when he was admitted to the Powick Asylum.

By the next census, the family were living at 13 Melbourne Street, Claines, with Charles now a Collector of Rates and Taxes, and Paul listed as his Assistant. With his father’s obvious influence, Paul looked set for a prosperous life. Unfortunately, two years later he was committed to the Asylum, where he would spend the rest of his life.

His life at the Asylum was one of ups and downs. Often the notes mention how well he was getting on, followed by one saying that he was still suffering from mental illness. For example, the case note for November 10 1893, reads ’Is quiet and well behaved, is out at work.’ But less than a month later, on December 5, ‘Is still suffering from mania, he is although improved, still dull and childish and appears unable to apply himself. He does a little work but will frequently stop and gaze vacantly about him, he is slow in speaking and lacks decision. He is well nourished and in good health.’

Most often, the case notes are concerned with his behaviour, not his mental state. The entry for September 4 1900 is typical. ‘Is sullen and irritable, quarrelsome, inclined to be violent on the least provocation, and is unfit to be at large.’ When his metal state is noted, it is in vague terms, such as ‘Still suffering from Mania. Laughs & talks to himself. At times goes through strange antics & repeats meaningless rhymes.’ (June 4th 1903).

Nowhere in his case notes is there any mention of treatment for his mental condition. The only instance of medical treatment noted is three days after his admission when it was reported that he was given ‘a large extra allowance of Milk, Eggs and Beef Tea.’ It seems that the Asylum was more concerned with keeping patients quiet and untroublesome than with offering them any substantial healthcare.

The case notes available to us end on 21 September 1907, with a note that they are continued in a volume which has been lost. Paul’s death was registered in Upton in the first quarter of 1918. Upton was the registration district in which the Asylum was located, and a check of the Asylum’s burial register reveals that he was buried on 9 January. No date or cause of death is given. We therefore have no record of the last eleven years of his time at Powick. Almost half of his time there is lost.

His age at the time of his death is given, in both the death index and the burial register, is 43, which is slightly incorrect. As he was baptised in August 1873 and his birth was registered in the third quarter of that year, he would have turned 44 in 1917. Whatever his age, he was still a young man, and had spent more than half his life in a mental institution. One can only wonder at the waste of it all.

Research and write-up by Cathy Broad, 2026

To view Paul Augustus Taylor’s patient records, click here.

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