Institution Information - Blackfaulds Asylum
Parish/County: Rutherglen, Lanarkshire
Alternative Names: Blackfaulds House
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Locating Records for this institution
For people admitted to Scottish Mental Health institutions from 1 January 1858 a record usually survives in the ‘Notices of Admissions by the Superintendent of the Mental Institutions’ which are held by the National Records of Scotland. We are creating an index to these records and can assist you in searching the unindexed period. Search our index here or read more about the project here.
Records kept by this private institution do not seem to have survived. If you learn of anything concerning the survival or whereabouts of these records, please contact us.
Text from 1857 Royal Commission Report
“BLACKFAULDS ASYLUM, RUTHERGLEN; Visited 19th July 1855.
This house is kept by Miss Anderson, and, at the date of our visit, contained 1 male and 4 female patients. It is a cottage villa, and stands in a secluded situation a short distance from Rutherglen. Dr. Marshall, from Glasgow, attends once a week. He receives £1 annually for each patient, and additional fees for extra attendance. The patients have, in general, been a long time in the house; one twenty years, another sixteen years, a third nine years, and a fourth six years. The rate of payment varies from £30 to £50 a year.
Miss Anderson is assisted by her nephew, and there is a female servant, who receives £8 per annum.
The place has an ill-kept, disorderly aspect, both within and without. The house is dirty and untidy. The male patient and one of the females sleep on the ground-floor. The former is fatuous, and the latter is an idiot of dirty habits, who, during the day, generally sits in the kitchen. Her bedroom is dirty, wet with urine, and offensive. The mattress upon which she sleeps is of hair, and is guarded with waxcloth. Her bed has no sheets, and she sleeps in drawers on a blanket folded up to absorb the urine; the bed coverings were nevertheless filthy. The bedrooms, generally, are dirty and ill kept, and the beds of inferior quality. The patients usually dine in their rooms, but occasionally with Miss Anderson.
It was stated that one of the patients is at times restrained with the strait-waistcoat.
Two of them attend church.
The books kept are the Weekly Register, and the Sheriff's Visiting Book. There is no record of restraint.
The following extracts are from the two last entries by the
Sheriff;—"On 4th May 1855 the Sheriff, Dr. and Dr. — visited the house and found (so many patients) "who
appeared to be sufficiently attended to." “On 19th December 1854, the Sheriff, Dr. —, and Dr. —, visited the house and found" (so many patients) "whose comfort appeared to be attended to.””