January 6, 2023 - Friends of Horton Cemetery

KING, Harriet

Steve JohnsonJanuary 6, 2023March 8, 2023

b.1836 - d.1913 Introduction: I took on this story and at first thought it might be a nice easy one to complete, but how wrong I was. This took some...

ABBOTT, Mary Winchester

The Yale graduate and published author

ABBOTT, Mary Winchester
FAIRBRASS, Amy (Amey)

b.1837-d.1910 Amy’s parents Amy was born in 1837 in Bermondsey, as Amey Presley. There is an entry in the GRO for Amey Presley, March quarter,…

FAIRBRASS, Amy (Amey)
CARTWRIGHT, Walter

A story revisited by the author when invaluable case notes came to light at the London Metropolitan Archives. What followed resulted in a thorough family…

CARTWRIGHT, Walter
WHITROD, Elizabeth

Coping with 6 family deaths within 4 months

WHITROD, Elizabeth
PELHAM, George

Survivor of The Titanic

PELHAM, George
CLAYTON, Ada

Ada proved a little elusive to find at first.Thanks to the visitor book, the author then found her husband and more of her short life…

CLAYTON, Ada
WILSON, Frederick Leon

The common story of someone with epilepsy whose life was marred by a lack of understanding of the condition.

WILSON, Frederick Leon
DODD, George

The French Polisher

DODD, George
HAMILTON, Sarah Lloyd

b.1846-d.1930 Sarah’s story was brought to us by her family and they are happy for it to go on our website. They kindly provided the…

HAMILTON, Sarah Lloyd
SIMCOCK, Ellen (Nellie)

We are not sure why Ellen (Nellie) Simcock entered Manor Asylum but she was visited often by family members

SIMCOCK, Ellen (Nellie)
CORKE, Henrietta

The author says, "This has been such an interesting case to try to unravel and kept a couple of us up to the early hours…

CORKE, Henrietta
CUTHBERT, Thomasine

b.1845 - d.1915 Throughout her life, the names of Thomasine, Thomasina, and Thomasinie have been used. Thomasina Bridie was born ~1845 in Anstruther-Easter, Fife, Scotland,…

CUTHBERT, Thomasine
GORSUCH, Joseph

b.1846 - d.1916 Joseph Francis Gorsuch was born on the 7th of May 1846 at City Road, St Luke, Shoreditch, London, England to parents William…

GORSUCH, Joseph
UNDERWOOD, Septimus Rowland

b.1873-d.1913 Septimus’s parents Septimus Rowland Underwood was born in Groton, Suffolk, in the 2nd quarter of 1873. He was the seventh of nine children born…

UNDERWOOD, Septimus Rowland
ALDRIDGE, Frederick William

The Mechanical Engineer

ALDRIDGE, Frederick William
LEWIS, James

b.1859-d.1912 James's parents and siblings James was born on 30 September 1859 in the Camden Union workhouse and at his baptism on 19 Oct 1859…

LEWIS, James
BENTLEY or MACHON, Minnie

The young bookkeeper and the Silk Merchant

BENTLEY or MACHON, Minnie
MILTON, Maria

Maria MILTON gave birth to 11 children, a challenging life that ended in Horton Asylum.

MILTON, Maria
SABEY, George David

What happened to this Bootmaker?

SABEY, George David
BELLAMY, Louisa

Lost her twin brother, aged 4

BELLAMY, Louisa
WARD, Caroline

Without the invaluable case notes for Caroline Ward, we would not be able to tell any of her sad story.

WARD, Caroline
SEARS, Emma

b.1865-d.1914 Known Facts Emma Sears died at the age of about 49 whilst a patient at Manor Asylum, Epsom, Surrey. Her alleged age suggested a…

SEARS, Emma
HAYCOCK, Hannah

b.1868-d.1908 Hannah’s parents and siblings Hannah Haycock was born in 1868 in Rochford, Essex to parents Thomas and Caroline (née Thompson). Hannah was the eldest…

HAYCOCK, Hannah
YEO, Marian Elizabeth

The silver polisher

YEO, Marian Elizabeth
CORBETT, John Francis

b.1858-d.1908 This story is probably typical of the majority of unfortunate people who passed through the asylum system during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. John…

CORBETT, John Francis
THOMPSON, Samuel Thomas

The Solicitor's Clerk

THOMPSON, Samuel Thomas
MASSEY, Harriet

b.1832-d.1907 Death I have had to start at the end of Harriet Massey's life and try to work backwards in order to tell her story. …

MASSEY, Harriet
GILBERT, George Frederick

Died aged just 22

GILBERT, George Frederick
GILCHRIST, Jane

b.1893-d.1918 Jane’s parents and siblings Jane Gilchrist was born in the Holborn registration district to Charles Edward Gilchrist 1854 1895 and his wife Mary née…

GILCHRIST, Jane
BOWDERY, Agnes Bessie

b.1844-d.1914 Agnes Bessie Corke was born in the 4th Quarter of 1844 in the Registration District of Camberwell, London, although her actual birth place was…

BOWDERY, Agnes Bessie
EFFEMEY, John

b.1851-d.1909 John’s family The Effemey name has been quite a challenge to research due to its change of spellings when transcribed. Effamy, Effemy, Efeny, Evamy,…

EFFEMEY, John
STACE, Louisa

The glove maker

STACE, Louisa
PENFOLD, Edward Charles

b. 1853-1908 Early Years 1850s to 1870s Edward Charles Penfold was born on 6 Nov 1853 in Holborn, Middlesex, registration district St Luke’s. His parents…

PENFOLD, Edward Charles
EVANS, Ida Ellen

b. 1876 - d. 1913 1870s Born Ida Ellen Jacobs, Ida's birth was registered in the 1st Quarter of 1876 in the Registration District of…

EVANS, Ida Ellen
AITKEN, William

5½ weeks after he had his head cut open by being knocked down by some roughs in the street, William Aitken suffered a life of…

AITKEN, William
KING, Harriet

b.1836 - d.1913 Introduction: I took on this story and at first thought it might be a nice easy one to complete, but how wrong…

KING, Harriet
ALLEN, Mary Ann

b.1849-d.1913 I was unable to find Mary’s birth on the General Register Office website but her baptism certificate gives her date of birth as 3…

ALLEN, Mary Ann
FOLWELL, Dora

The Dressmaker

FOLWELL, Dora
DUNKINSON, Matilda

b.1878 - d.1907 Dunkinson has been spelt in a variety of ways on the sources discovered, however I believe they are transcription errors and that…

DUNKINSON, Matilda
BRYANT, Percy Henry

b.1890-d.1914 Percy’s family and early life Percy was born, the eldest of seven children, on 2nd December 1890 and baptised on 22nd February at St…

BRYANT, Percy Henry
BOLTON, Thomas

b.1862 – d.1912. Thomas's family Thomas’s birth is recorded in records variously between 1859 (1891 Census) and 1862 (admission records)and no baptism has been found,…

BOLTON, Thomas
SULLIVAN, Agnes

b.1877 – d.1927 Intro Had it not been for the Manor address book, we would never have unravelled this story. The addresses gave us the…

SULLIVAN, Agnes
MORGAN, Alfred

Orphaned at 13

MORGAN, Alfred
ROBERTS, Benjamin

Benjamin said he had made a harp with 1,000 strings and could play any tune and instrument! He worked as a musician.

ROBERTS, Benjamin
FELL, Sachinais Alicia

b.1873 - d.1910 When I began my research into Sachinais, very little could be found. The only records showing such a name are the records…

FELL, Sachinais Alicia
FLETCHER, George

Was an unfortunate accident responsible for this man's epilepsy?

FLETCHER, George
ENDERSON, Gertrude

b.1863-d.1918 Uncertain origins This lady’s birth is uncertain. Searching the registrations of birth I was unable to find a Gertrude Enderson born within two years…

ENDERSON, Gertrude
HOWARD, Frank

b. 1876 - d. 1912 Frank’s appearance in the Lunacy Register and his hospital admission form do not record his DOB but according to the…

HOWARD, Frank
APPLETON, Caroline Sophia

b.1831-d.1911 Caroline’s parents Caroline Sophia Appleton was born Caroline Sophia Barnaschina in the 1st quarter of 1831 in Gravesend, Kent. Her parents were upholsterer Anthony…

APPLETON, Caroline Sophia
FRANCIS, Amelia

The mysterious case of the Widow and the Decorator - The mystery of a lady who left home and was never seen again. Only years…

FRANCIS, Amelia