The Board of Control for Lunacy and Mental Deficiency was a body overseeing the treatment of the

mentally ill A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitt ...

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is En ...

. It was created by the Mental Deficiency Act 1913 to replace the

Commissioners in Lunacy The Commissioners in Lunacy or Lunacy Commission were a public body established by the Lunacy Act 1845 to oversee asylums and the welfare of mentally ill people in England and Wales. It succeeded the Metropolitan Commissioners in Lunacy. Prev ...

, under the Home Office however it was independent in that it reported to the

Lord Chancellor The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. Th ...

who had responsibility for investigating breaches of care and integrity. The Board was transferred to the Ministry of Health by the

Ministry of Health Act 1919 The Ministry of Health Act 1919 was an Act of Parliament which established for the first time in the United Kingdom a Minister of Health. It also established the Consultative Council on National Health Insurance, the Consultative Council on Med ...

, and reorganised in 1930. The Board consisted of a Chairman, two Senior Medical Commissioners, one Senior Legal Commissioner, six Commissioners including lawyers and doctors, six Inspectors and administrative staff. By law, at least one of these had to be a woman. The Commissioners of the Board travelled around England and Wales ensuring that those detained under mental health legislation were legally in custody, their care was appropriate, and moneys and other properties owned by patients were not being misused or stolen. The Board was based in Northumberland Avenue,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, until 1939 when it was moved to Hobart House,

Grosvenor Place Grosvenor Place is a street in Belgravia, London, running from Hyde Park Corner down the west side of Buckingham Palace gardens, and joining lower Grosvenor Place where there are some cafes and restaurants. It joins Grosvenor Gardens to the s ...

. Its functions were transferred to the Minister of Health by the

National Health Service Act 1946 The National Health Service Act 1946c 81 came into effect on 5 July 1948 and created the National Health Service in England and Wales thus being the first implementation of the Beveridge model. Though the title 'National Health Service' implies a ...

Members

Announcements of members were carried in the major national newspapers, including ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...

''. * On inception of the Board in 1913, the chairman was Sir William Byrne with

Arthur Rotherham Arthur Rotherham (27 May 1869 – 3 March 1946) was an English rugby union scrum-half who was a member of the first official British Isles tour and was later capped for the England team. Personal history Rotherham was born in Coventry in 1869 t ...

and

Mary Dendy Mary Dendy (28 January 1855 – 9 May 1933) was a promoter of residential schools for mentally handicapped people, i.e. institutionalisation. Dendy was the driving force that established a colony for the "feeble-minded". Dendy believed in separat ...

joining the ''ex officio'' members of the previous

Lunacy Commission The Commissioners in Lunacy or Lunacy Commission were a public body established by the Lunacy Act 1845 to oversee asylums and the welfare of mentally ill people in England and Wales. It succeeded the Metropolitan Commissioners in Lunacy. Previo ...

ers; C.H. Bond, Marriott Cooke, S. Coupland, B. T. Hodgson, S. J. F. MacLeod, F. Needham L. L. Shadwell, A. H. Trevor * In 1916, due to Sir William Byrne moving on, Marriott Cooke became acting chairman, and

Robert Welsh Braithwaite The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, ho ...

was appointed to the board. * In 1921, Dr Ruth Darwin was appointed to the Board * In 1926 due to

's retirement,

Robert Cunyngham Brown Robert Cunyngham Brown (1867 – 7 October 1945) was a British psychologist and medical administrator. He was a commissioner of the Board of Control for Lunacy and Mental Deficiency The Board of Control for Lunacy and Mental Deficiency was a bo ...

was appointed a commissioner. * In 1928, due to the retirement of the chairman,

Sir Frederick Willis Sir Frederick Willis CB KBE (16 March 1863 - 17 June 1946) was an English lawyer and civil servant.The Times, Wednesday, Jun 19, 1946; pg. 7; Issue 50481; col E Sir Frederick Willis He was made CB in 1914 and KBE in 1920. He was chairman of the ...

Laurence George Brock Sir Laurence George Brock CB (7 May 1879 – 29 April 1949) was a British civil servant. He was chairman of the Board of Control for Lunacy and Mental Deficiency from 1928 to 1945. Brock was born in Islington, London to George William Freder ...

was appointed chairman. * In 1929, Dr Bedford Pierce was appointed a commissioner. From the start of 1931, the Board was reconstituted, with a chairman and four other members. L.G. Brock continued as chairman, with S. J. Fraser MacLeod, C. Hubert Bond,

Ellen Pinsent Dame Ellen Frances Pinsent DBE (''née'' Parker; 26 March 1866 – 10 October 1949) was a British mental health worker, and first female member of the Birmingham City Council. Family Ellen Frances Parker was born in Claxby, Lincolnshire, th ...

. *

William Rees-Thomas William Rees-Thomas CB FRCP FRSM (15 June 1887 – 13 April 1978) was a Welsh psychiatrist. He was Medical Senior Commissioner for the Board of Control for Lunacy and Mental Deficiency. Born in Senny, Breconshire, he was educated at County Sc ...

was appointed to the Board in 1931. *In 1931, Dr Isabel Wilson was appointed as a Commissioner, holding the position until 1948. From 1949 to 1960 she was a Senior Commissioner, after which the Board was abolished and her position was changed to the Principal Medical Officer, Ministry of Health.

References

* {{UK mental health legislation Mental health legal history of the United Kingdom Defunct public bodies of the United Kingdom