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b. 1874 – d. 1915
Arthur Henry Carr, a twin, was born on the 14th of July 1874 at 10.30 am in Mile End Old Town, Middlesex, England to parents Thomas Carr a Packer and Mary Ann House, address at the time was 4 Victoria Terrace, Grove Road Mile End, his twin brother Albert Edward was born 30 minutes later at 11 am, both being baptised on the 9th of August 1874 at the St Dunstan and All Saints Church in Stepney, London, England.
Father Thomas Carr was born abt 1840 and married Mary Ann House on the 20th of March 1870 at St Philip in Stepney, Tower Hamlets, England, Thomas was recorded as a 30-year-old Boot Maker from Stepney, father Thomas Carr (deceased) and Mary Ann was a 29-year-old Spinster, father William House a Blind Maker also deceased. Thomas and Mary lived mainly around the London area where Thomas worked mostly as a Packer, they went on to have children, William Thomas abt 1871, Mary Ann abt 1872, Albert and Arthur 1874 and Edgar abt 1876, it seems the family then moved for a short time to West Ham in Essex where son Walter Alexander was born in 1878 but then had moved back to London by 1881 where they saw the birth of daughter Beatrice Esther.
1880s
During the 1881 census Arthur was recorded as a 6-year-old scholar living at 1 Driffield Road, Bow Aka St Mary Stratford-Le-Bow, Poplar, London & Middlesex, England with his parents Thomas and Mary and his siblings William, Mary, Albert, Edgar, Walter, and Beatrice, visiting at the time was Harriet Webb and his grandmother Esther House.
1882 saw the sad passing of their daughter Beatrice Esther only 12 months old at the time.
Dated the 20 Apr 1886 Arthur aged 11 years old along with his brothers Albert and Edgar attended the Monteith Rd School in Bow, Middlesex, England, father listed as Thomas Carr.
1890s
Unable to locate Arthur or the rest of his family during the 1891 census.
Arthurs younger brother Edgar joined the Coldstream Guards Service Number 9699 on the 16th of January 1894 aged 18 years old, next of kin father Thomas Carr of 33 Strahan Rd, Edgar was discharged on the 13th of August 1895 due to Debility caused by accident on duty.
Arthur worked as an errand boy from ages 12 to 15 years and then as a Barman, working at places such as the Bank of Friendships Tavern and the White Hart Tavern in Bethnal Green and at the Lord Duncan and London Fields Taverns in Hackney. It was around the age of 21 years that he started to experience fits with symptoms usually including auditory hallucinations which had much influence on him, he could have anywhere from one to five fits a week at times resulting in very violent outbursts which then usually lead to him trying to take his own life, several occasions by strangulation and once by trying to jump out a window which resulted in his family having to seek further medical help.
At the time of Arthurs admission to the workhouse he had currently been in the Hackney Infirmary for the past 5 weeks, prior to that he had been residing with his older brother William Thomas at 6 Victoria Av for 6 weeks and then with his parents Thomas and Mary Ann at 33 Strahan Rd in Bow, Poplar, London where he had been out of work for the past 4 ½ years attending several hospitals as an outpatient.
About a week after the passing of his mother Mary Ann, Arthur was admitted to the Hackney Workhouse on the 29th of December 1897 aged 24 years old.
An order of removal was issued for Arthur Henry Carr from Hackney back to Bethnal Green on the 7th January 1898, Parish Relief for Arthur to stay at the Hackney Workhouse was submitted on the 7th of January 1898 by his twin brother Albert Edward, this was denied and he was ordered to return back to the parish of St Matthews, Bethnal Green.
1899 saw the passing of father Thomas and Arthur being eventually sent back to Bethnal Green where he was admitted to the Bethnal Green Workhouse on the 13th of February 1901, recorded on the 1901 census as a single 28-year-old patient admitted to the Bethnal House in Bethnal Green, Middlesex, occupation recorded as a Barman.
1900s
Arthur was discharged from the Bethnal Green Workhouse on the 30th of April 1902 stated, “Not Improved” and admitted to the Horton Asylum in Epsom, Surrey, the following year he was then sent to the Manor Asylum in Epsom dated the 25th of September 1903 aged 30 years old, chargeable to Bethnal Green, eventually being diagnosed with Epileptic Insanity. On the 3rd of February 1908 he was certified as still of unsound mind and a proper person to be detained under care and treatment.
Arthur was then at some point sent to The Epileptic Colony in Epsom, Surrey, England where he was recorded on the 1911 census as a single 37-year-old patient, he was noted as being depressed, weak minded and delusional at times but usually of a pleasant nature and sociable, works well as a cleaner in the Thorn Villa Day Room. There were several times during his assessments Arthur mentioned a wife in Heaven but I have yet to confirm if he was actually married, no records can be located so far.
According to his case notes dated June 8th 1911 after an Epileptic fit Arthur became confused and irrational, said he had a feeling he was a black dog and shortly after breakfast was reported missing from Thorn Villa, he was discovered by Assistant Clerk Mr Oliver 25 minutes later heading down Chessington Rd towards Ewell Station still in his sleepers and very confused, over the next several years Arthurs fits increased sometimes up to as many as 27 fits per quarter with the majority being of major nature, he slept more often and put in less time at work.
Arthur passed away on the 24th of June 1915 at the Epileptic Colony in Epsom, Surrey, England aged 41 years old, a Barman from Bethnal Green, informant recorded as Sam Algee Acting Medical Superintendent of the Epileptic Colony. Cause of death recorded as Lobar pneumonia, he was buried in an unmarked grave on the 28th of June 1915 at the Horton Cemetery in Epsom, Surrey, England, grave number 1799 b.
