The Commissioners in Lunacy or Lunacy Commission were a

public body A statutory corporation is a government entity created as a statutory body by statute. Their precise nature varies by jurisdiction, thus, they are statutes owned by a government or controlled by national or sub-national government to the (in ...

established by the

Lunacy Act 1845 The Lunacy/Lunatics Act 1845 (8 & 9 Vict., c. 100) and the County Asylums Act 1845 (8 & 9 Vict., c. 126) formed mental health law in England and Wales from 1845 to 1890. The Lunacy Act's most important provision was a change in the status of mental ...

to oversee asylums and the welfare of mentally ill people in

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 Eng ...

. It succeeded the Metropolitan Commissioners in Lunacy.

Previous bodies

The predecessors of the Commissioners in Lunacy were the Metropolitan Commissioners in Lunacy, dating back to the Madhouses Act 1774, and established as such by the Madhouses Act 1828. By 1842 their remit had been extended from London to cover the whole country. The Lord Chancellor's jurisdiction over lunatics so found by writ of ''De Lunatico Inquirendo'' had been delegated to two Masters-in-Chancery. By the Lunacy Act 1842 (5&6 Vict. c.64), these were established as the ''Commissioners in Lunacy'' and after 1845 they were retitled ''Masters in Lunacy''.Jones (2003) p.222

Establishment

Anthony Ashley-Cooper, Seventh Earl of Shaftesbury was the head of the Commission from its founding in 1845 until his death in 1885. The Lunacy Commission was made up of eleven Metropolitan Commissioners: three medical, three legal and five laymen. The Commission was monumental as it was not only a full-time commission, but it was also salaried for six of its members. The six members of the commission who were full-time and salaried were the three members of the legal system and the three members of the medical community. The other five lay members of the commission were all honorary members who simply had to attend board meetings. The duty of the Commission was to carry out the provisions of the Act, reporting to the

Poor Law Commissioners The Poor Law Commission was a body established to administer poor relief after the passing of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. The commission was made up of three commissioners who became known as "The Bashaws of Somerset House", their secretary a ...

(in the case of workhouses) and 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. The ...

. The first Secretary to the Commissioners was

Robert Wilfred Skeffington Lutwidge Robert Wilfred Skeffington Lutwidge (17 January 1802 – 28 May 1873) was an English barrister, Commissioner in Lunacy and early photographer. He was the uncle of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll. He joined the Photograph ...

, a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

and uncle of

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequel ...

. He had previously been one of the Metropolitan Commissioners, and later become an Inspector of the Commission. A Master in Lunacy ranked next after a Master in Chancery in the

order of precedence An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance and can be applied to individuals, groups, or organizations. Most often it is used in the context of people by many organizations and governments, for very formal and state o ...

Asylums commissioned

The following asylums were commissioned under the auspices of the Commissioners in Lunacy (or their predecessors): ;English county asylums * First Bedford County Asylum (

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

), 1812 * Second Bedfordshire County Asylum ( Fairfield), 1860 * Berkshire County Asylum (

Moulsford Moulsford is a village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire. Before 1974 it was in the county of Berkshire, in Wallingford Rural District, but following the Berkshire boundary changes of that year it became a part of Oxfordshire. Moulsford is o ...

), 1870 * Buckinghamshire County Asylum ( Stone), 1853 * Cambridgeshire County Asylum (

Fulbourn Fulbourn is a village in Cambridgeshire, England, with evidence of settlement dating back to Neolithic times. The village was probably established under its current name by 1200. The waterfowl-frequented stream after which it was named lies i ...

), 1858 * First Cheshire County Asylum (

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

), 1829 * Second Cheshire County Asylum (

Macclesfield Macclesfield is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Bollin in the east of the county, on the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east ...

), 1871 * Cornwall County Asylum (

Bodmin Bodmin () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated south-west of Bodmin Moor. The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character. It is bordere ...

), 1818 * Cumberland and Westmorland County Asylum ( Carleton), 1862 * Derbyshire County Asylum ( Mickleover), 1851 * Devon County Asylum ( Exminster), 1845 * Dorset County Asylum (

Charminster Charminster is a village and civil parish in west Dorset, England, situated on the River Cerne and A352 road north of the county town Dorchester. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 2,940 and also contains the hamlet of Charl ...

), 1863 * Durham County Asylum (

Sedgefield Sedgefield is a market town and civil parish in County Durham, England. It had a population of 5,211 as at the 2011 census. It has the only operating racecourse in County Durham. History Roman A Roman 'ladder settlement' was discovered by C ...

), 1858 * East Riding County Asylum (

Walkington Walkington is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately to the south-west of the town of Beverley on the B1230 road, and Beverley Grammar School. The civil parish is formed by the villa ...

), 1871 * East Sussex County Asylum (

Hellingly Hellingly (pronounced 'Helling-lye') is a village, and can also refer to a civil parish, and to a district ward, in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. Geography Hellingly contains the confluence of the River Cuckmere and one of its ...

), 1898 * First Essex County Asylum ( Brentwood), 1853 * Second Essex County Asylum (

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...

), 1913 * First Gloucestershire County Asylum (

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

), 1823 * Second Gloucestershire County Asylum (

), 1883 * First Hampshire County Asylum ( Knowle), 1852 * Second Hampshire County Asylum (

Basingstoke Basingstoke ( ) is the largest town in the county of Hampshire. It is situated in south-central England and lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon, at the far western edge of The North Downs. It is located north-east of Southa ...

), 1917 * Herefordshire County Asylum (

Burghill Burghill is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, north-west of Hereford. The parish includes the villages of Burghill, Tillington, Portway and Eltons Marsh. It was originally a small village of farms and orchards situated on t ...

), 1868 * Hertfordshire County Asylum (

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

), 1899 * Isle of Wight County Asylum (

Gatcombe Gatcombe is a village in the civil parish of Chillerton and Gatcombe, on the Isle of Wight, England. It is located about two and a half miles south of Newport, in the centre of the island. The parish, which includes Chillerton, had a population ...

), 1896 * First Kent County Asylum ( Barming Heath), 1833 * Second Kent County Asylum (

Chartham Chartham is a village and civil parish in the Canterbury district of Kent, England. It is situated on the Ashford side of the city, and is in the North Downs area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, south west of Canterbury, England. The Great St ...

), 1875 * Kesteven County Asylum ( Quarrington, 1897 * First Lancashire County Asylum ( Lancaster), 1816 * Second Lancashire County Asylum (

Prestwich Prestwich ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England, north of Manchester city centre, north of Salford and south of Bury. Historically part of Lancashire, Prestwich was the seat of the ancient parish o ...

), 1851 * Third Lancashire County Asylum (

Rainhill Rainhill is a village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, in Merseyside, England. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 census was 10,853. Historically part of Lancashire, Rainhill was formerly a townsh ...

), 1851 * Fourth Lancashire County Asylum ( Whittingham), 1873 * Fifth Lancashire County Asylum ( Winwick), 1897 * Sixth Lancashire County Asylum ( Whalley), 1915 * Leicestershire County Asylum (

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

), 1837 * Lincolnshire County Asylum ( Bracebridge Heath), 1852 * First London County Asylum ( Hanwell), 1831 * Second London County Asylum (

Colney Hatch Colney Hatch () is the historical name for a small district within the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. Colney Hatch refers to a loosely defined area centred on the northern end of Colney Hatch Lane (B550), which connects Friern ...

), 1849 * Third London County Asylum (

Belmont Belmont may refer to: People * Belmont (surname) Places * Belmont Abbey (disambiguation) * Belmont Historic District (disambiguation) * Belmont Hotel (disambiguation) * Belmont Park (disambiguation) * Belmont Plantation (disambiguation) * Belmon ...

), 1877 * Fourth London County Asylum ( Coulsdon), 1882 * Fifth London County Asylum (

Woodford Bridge Woodford Bridge is part of the East London suburb of Woodford, in the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located on an old road between Chigwell and Leytonstone. Notable features Its notable features include Claybury Asylum, a psychiatric hos ...

), 1893 * Sixth London County Asylum ( Epsom), 1899 * Seventh London County Asylum (

Dartford Heath Dartford Heath Common is an area of open heathland situated to the south-west of Dartford, Kent, England, covering around of open space. Dartford Heath is classified as lowland heath and is one of only two substantial heathland blocks remaining i ...

), 1898 * Eighth London County Asylum ( Epsom), 1902 * Ninth London County Asylum ( Epsom), 1904 * Tenth London County Asylum ( Epsom), 1907 * Eleventh London County Asylum ( Epsom), 1921 * Norfolk County Asylum (

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

), 1814 * Northamptonshire County Asylum ( Duston), 1876 * Northumberland County Asylum (

Morpeth Morpeth may refer to: *Morpeth, New South Wales, Australia ** Electoral district of Morpeth, a former electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in New South Wales * Morpeth, Ontario, Canada * Morpeth, Northumberland, England, UK ** Morpeth (UK ...

), 1859 * North Riding County Asylum (

Clifton Clifton may refer to: People *Clifton (surname) *Clifton (given name) Places Australia * Clifton, Queensland, a town **Shire of Clifton *Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong *Clifton, Western Australia Canada *Clifton, Nova Scotia ...

), 1847 * First Nottinghamshire County Asylum ( Sneinton), 1812 * Second Nottinghamshire County Asylum ( Radcliffe-on-Trent), 1902 * Oxfordshire County Asylum (

Littlemore Littlemore is a district and civil parish in Oxford, England. The civil parish includes part of Rose Hill. It is about southeast of the city centre of Oxford, between Rose Hill, Blackbird Leys, Cowley, and Sandford-on-Thames. The 2011 Censu ...

), 1846 * Shropshire County Asylum (

Shelton Shelton may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Shelton, North Bedfordshire, in the parish of Dean and Shelton, Bedfordshire *Lower Shelton, in the parish of Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire *Upper Shelton, in the parish of Marston Moretaine, Bedfor ...

), 1845 * First Somerset County Asylum ( Horrington), 1848 * Second Somerset County Asylum ( Norton Fitzwarren), 1897 * First Staffordshire County Asylum (

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies about north of Wolverhampton, south of Stoke-on-Trent and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 70,145 in t ...

), 1818 * Second Staffordshire County Asylum (

Cheddleton Cheddleton is an ancient parish and village in the Staffordshire Moorlands, near to the town of Leek, Staffordshire, Leek, England. History The village is divided into two distinct communities – the traditional village and the modern Redrow ...

), 1892 * Suffolk County Asylum ( Melton), 1827 * First Surrey County Asylum (

Tooting Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and partly in the London Borough of Merton. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross. History Tooting has been settled since pre- Saxon times ...

), 1840 * Second Surrey County Asylum (

Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...

), 1867 * Third Surrey County Asylum (

Hooley Hooley is a village in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey, England. Within its small grid of streets is the 13th-century church of Chipstead which has been, since time immemorial, its ecclesiastical parish. Hooley is connected via pa ...

), 1905 * Sussex County Asylum (

Haywards Heath Haywards Heath is a town in West Sussex, England, south of London, north of Brighton, south of Gatwick Airport and northeast of the county town, Chichester. Nearby towns include Burgess Hill to the southwest, Horsham to the northwest, Crawl ...

), 1859 * Warwickshire County Asylum ( Hatton), 1852 * First West Riding County Asylum (

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...

), 1818 * Second West Riding County Asylum ( Middlewood), 1872 * Third West Riding County Asylum (

Menston Menston is a village and civil parish in the City of Bradford in the county of West Yorkshire, England. Along with Burley in Wharfedale, most of Menston is within Wharfedale Ward in the metropolitan borough of Bradford. The remainder of Men ...

), 1885 * Fourth West Riding County Asylum (

Storthes Hall Storthes Hall is a part of the township of Kirkburton, West Yorkshire, England. A heavily wooded area, it comprises a single road, Storthes Hall Lane, which links Kirkburton with the nearby villages of Farnley Tyas and Thurstonland. The most si ...

), 1904 * Fifth West Riding County Asylum (

Burley in Wharfedale Burley in Wharfedale is a village and (as just Burley) a civil parish in the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the Wharfedale valley. The village is situated on the A65 road, approximately north-west from Leeds, ...

), 1902 * West Sussex County Asylum (

Chichester Chichester () is a cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It is the only ci ...

), 1894 * Wiltshire County Asylum ( Devizes), 1849 * First Worcestershire County Asylum (

Powick Powick is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills district of Worcestershire, England, located two miles south of the city of Worcester and four miles north of Great Malvern. The parish includes the village of Callow End and the hamlets ...

), 1847 * Second Worcestershire County Asylum (

Bromsgrove Bromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England, about northeast of Worcester and southwest of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 29,237 in 2001 (39,644 in the wider Bromsgrove/Catshill urban area). Bromsgrove is the main town in the ...

), 1907 ;"New" mental hospitals established later by Middlesex County Council ''Note:'' The First Surrey County Asylum at Tooting (see above) was transferred to Middlesex County Council in 1888 and became the First Middlesex County Mental Hospital in the early 20th century * Second Middlesex County Mental Hospital ( London Colney), 1905 * Third Middlesex County Mental Hospital (

Shenley Shenley is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, between Barnet and St Albans. The village is located 14 miles from Central London. History The history of Shenley stretches back a thousand years or more – it is mentioned in ...

), 1934 ;English borough asylums * Croydon Borough Asylum, 1903 * First Birmingham City Asylum, 1850 * Second Birmingham City Asylum, 1882 * Third Birmingham City Asylum, 1905 * Bristol City Asylum, 1861 * Canterbury Borough Asylum, 1902 * Derby Borough Asylum, 1888 * East Ham Borough Asylum, 1937 * Exeter City Asylum, 1886 * Gateshead Borough Asylum, 1914 * Ipswich Borough Asylum, 1870 * Kingston upon Hull Borough Asylum, 1883 * Leicester Borough Asylum, 1869 * Lincoln Borough Asylum, 1817 * Middlesbrough Borough Asylum, 1898 * Newcastle upon Tyne Borough Asylum, 1869 * City of London Asylum, 1866 * Norwich Borough Asylum, 1828 * Nottingham Borough Asylum, 1880 * Plymouth Borough Asylum, 1891 * Portsmouth Borough Asylum, 1879 * Sunderland Borough Asylum, 1895 * West Ham Borough Asylum, 1901 * York Borough Asylum, 1906 ;Metropolitan Asylums Board asylums (established for chronic cases) * Caterham Asylum, 1870 * Darenth Asylum, 1878 * Leavesden Asylum, 1870 * Tooting Bec Asylum, 1903 ;Welsh county asylums * Brecon and Radnor County Asylum (

Talgarth Talgarth is a market town, community and electoral ward in southern Powys, Mid Wales, about north of Crickhowell, north-east of Brecon and south-east of Builth Wells. Notable buildings in the town include the 14th-century parish church and a ...

), 1903 * Carmarthenshire, Cardigan and Pembrokeshire County Asylum ( Carmarthen), 1865 * Denbighshire County Asylum (

Denbigh Denbigh (; cy, Dinbych; ) is a market town and a community in Denbighshire, Wales. Formerly, the county town, the Welsh name translates to "Little Fortress"; a reference to its historic castle. Denbigh lies near the Clwydian Hills. History ...

), 1844 * First Glamorgan County Asylum ( Pen-y-fai), 1864 * Second Glamorgan County Asylum (

Bridgend Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge ...

), 1886 * Monmouthshire County Asylum (

Abergavenny Abergavenny (; cy, Y Fenni , archaically ''Abergafenni'' meaning "mouth of the River Gavenny") is a market town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a ''Gateway to Wales''; it is approximately from the border wi ...

), 1851 ;Welsh borough asylums: * Cardiff City Asylum, 1908 * Newport Borough Asylum, 1906 * Swansea Borough Mental Hospital, 1932

Successors

The Mental Deficiency Act 1913 replaced the Commission with the Board of Control for Lunacy and Mental Deficiency.

Commissioners

Incomplete list: *Thomas Turner, Medical (1845–1854)Jones (2003) p.191 *

Henry Herbert Southey Henry Herbert Southey M.D. (1784–1865) was an English physician. Life The son of Robert Southey (1745–1792) by his wife, Margaret Hill (1752–1802), and younger brother of Robert Southey, the poet, he was born in Bristol on 18 January 1784. ...

, Medical (1845–1848) *

Bryan Procter Bryan Waller Procter (pseud. Barry Cornwall) (21 November 17875 October 1874) was an English poet who served as a Commissioner in Lunacy. Life and career Born at Leeds, Yorkshire, he was educated at Harrow School, where he had for contemporaries ...

, Legal (1845–1860) *

Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury (28 April 1801 – 1 October 1885), styled Lord Ashley from 1811 to 1851, was a British Tory politician, philanthropist, and social reformer. He was the eldest son of The 6th Earl of Shaftesbury ...

, Lay, chair (1845–1885) * Robert Vernon, 1st Baron Lyveden, Lay (1845–1860) * Edward Seymour, 12th Duke of Somerset, Lay (1845–1852) *Robert Gordon, Lay (1845) *Francis Barlow, Lay (1845) *J. R. Southey, Medical (1845) *

James Cowles Prichard James Cowles Prichard, FRS (11 February 1786 – 23 December 1848) was a British physician and ethnologist with broad interests in physical anthropology and psychiatry. His influential ''Researches into the Physical History of Mankind'' touched ...

(1845–1848), Medical, in place of Southey who resigned *James Mylne, Legal (1845) *John Hancock Hall (1845) *

(appointed 1855) *

Harry Davenport Harry Davenport may refer to: * Harry Davenport (actor) (1866–1949), American film and stage actor * Harry Davenport (footballer) (1900–1984), Australian footballer * Harry J. Davenport (1902–1977), Democratic Party member of the U.S. House ...

(appointed 1889) * Edward Nugent, Earl of Milltown (appointed 1889) *

Henry Morgan-Clifford Henry Morgan-Clifford (1806 – 12 February 1884) was a British Liberal Party politician. He was elected unopposed at the 1847 general election as one of the two Member of Parliament (MPs) for the city of Hereford. He was re-elected in three f ...

* Sir Marriott Cooke (1898–1914)

Footnotes

References

External links

*Web pages by Andrew Roberts at

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated MDX) is a public research university in Hendon, northwest London, England. The name of the university is taken from its location within the historic county boundaries ...

:
The Lunacy Commission

{{DEFAULTSORT:Commissioners In Lunacy Mental health legal history of the United Kingdom Defunct public bodies of the United Kingdom