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Andrew Howcutt (1845-1915)
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In
the 19th century, many people suffering from epilepsy were committed to live
in asylums. Andrew Howcutt was one of them. He
was born at Brixworth at 11 pm on 9 July 1845, the sixth child of John &
Sarah (Moodey) Howcutt, and christened at Brixworth church on 17 August the
same year.
Andrew
was not living with his parents at Silver Street, Brixworth when the 1851
census took place but was recorded as a patient at Northampton Infirmary,
seven miles away. It is not known what disorder he was being treated for. In
1861 census Andrew was recorded as a 15 year old apprentice shoemaker, living
in the household of Francis Gammage at Silver Street. By
the time the next census was held in April 1871, Andrew had moved to London
and was working as a coachman. He was lodging with his sister Harriet and her
husband Robert Whitehorn at 72A Grosvenor Mews,
Westminster. On
9 July 1871, Andrew married Elizabeth Eales at St James Piccadilly. Elizabeth
had been born about 1840 at Solworthy, Somerset. The 1881 census records the
couple at 5 Laconia Mews, Kensington; Andrew was still working as a coachman.
Laconia Mews had been built in 1877-8 and were three-story buildings of an
unusual design. The ground floor was a coach-house, the first floor stables
opening to a wide gallery approached by a ramp and the second floor to living
quarters that were reached by a stair and gallery. [1] The
earliest evidence found of Andrew’s mental health problems is dated 18
January 1889, when he was admitted as a pauper patient to Fisherton House
Asylum. [2] This privately-run establishment at Fisherton Anger, to the west
of Salisbury, was licenced to accommodate a total of 672 patients. At the
time of a report in 1896 the establishment was almost fully occupied, most of
the patients being paupers paid for by poor law unions, many of them being
from London. [3] In the 1891 census, Andrew was recorded at Fisherton as
“A.H.”, a 41-year-old groom and lunatic who had been born at Brixworth. His
wife has not been located in the census for that year. On
28 June 1892, Andrew was transferred from Fisherton to Cane Hill asylum,
Surrey, from which he was discharged as “recovered” sixteen days later. [4] The
electoral register for 1895 lists Andrew Howcutt at 25 Bennerley Road,
Battersea, where he was renting two first floor rooms unfurnished from M Hendron of the same address. In 1899, the electoral
register included Andrew Howcutt at 59 Bennerley Road occupying three rooms
that were rented unfurnished from Ralph Clegg who was also a resident
landlord. At
the time of the 1901 census, Andrew’s wife Elizabeth was living in two rooms
at 29 Auckland Road, Battersea, where she was self-employed, working at home
as a dressmaker. Elizabeth was described as head of the household and
married, but there is no reference to Andrew at that address or, as far as
can be discovered, elsewhere in the records of that census. While living in
Battersea, Andrew was presumably in contact with his brother Joseph
(1851-1939) who was living nearby at 113 Ingelow Road (1892-1896) and at 10
Garfield Road (1896-1904).
On
22 February 1907, Andrew was admitted as a pauper patient to Claybury asylum,
(also known as London County Lunatic Asylum, Romford), which had been opened
in 1893. Claybury was to be Andrew’s home for the remaining eight years of
his life. [5] It was situated at Woodford Bridge, about 11 miles north-east
of central London. In 1909 it housed some 2,600 patients and employed a total
of 400 staff. The grounds extended to 145 acres. A detailed description of the
asylum’s layout and facilities appears on the “Lost Hospitals of London”
website. [6] By
the 1911 census, Elizabeth had moved to a single room at 31 Auckland Road,
Battersea and stated that she was supported by “private means”. The census
schedule that she signed confirms that there had been no children of her
marriage. Elizabeth
was buried at Wandsworth cemetery on 7 December 1914. The cemetery records
with entry number 17742 give her address as 16 Bennerley Road and the grave
number as 276 in block A. Andrew
did not long survive his wife, as he died at Claybury on 12 February 1915.
The death certificate gives his home address as Northcote Road, Battersea and
his occupation as a domestic groom. The causes of death were reported as
epilepsy and chronic Bright’s Disease – he had suffered from both of these
for some years. The informant who registered Andrew’s death was his nephew
William Howcutt, who was then living at 60 Ashburnham Road, Greenwich. [7]
Andrew was buried at Wandsworth cemetery six days after his death. [8] Notes [1] 'De Vere Gardens area', in Survey of
London: Volume 42, Kensington Square To Earl's Court, ed. Hermione Hobhouse
(London, 1986), pp. 121-129
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol42/pp121-129 [accessed 15
November 2017]. [2] The National Archives (TNA): MH92/11,
number 41459. [3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Manor_Hospital,_Salisbury
[accessed 15 November 2017]. [4] TNA: MH94/31, number 27099. [5] TNA: MH94/42, number 43556. [6] http://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/claybury.html
[accessed 15 November 2017]. [7] William Howcutt (1878-1936) was a son of
Andrew’s brother Mark Michael. [8] The register entry number is 18274, grave 94, block A. Block A has since been covered by an upper level of burials known as block 51. |
