Records relating to the General Board of Lunacy

Reports by the Commissioners of the General Boards of Lunacy and Control for Scotland and the Mental Welfare Commission, which record details of their visits to Crichton Royal Institution and Southern Counties Asylum. They contain patient statistics and comments on the condition of the hospital. The Annual Reports contain an overview of the statistics and findings from the reports for all facilities providing accommodation to the mentally ill in Scotland. Circulars, Instructions and Orders issued by the Boards relate to changes to procedures and practices to be implemented. Included in Circulars, Instruction and Orders, DGH1/3/1/4, is correspondence between Dr C. C. Easterbrook and the General Boards of Lunacy and Control for Scotland concerning policies and procedures. The Annual Returns, which comprise of statistics relating to patients and staff, were completed by the hospital and submitted to the General Board of Control.

1859-1964

2 linear metres

The General Board of Commissioners in Lunacy for Scotland was created after the passing of the 1857 Lunacy (Scotland) Act. It was a regulatory body which governed the practices of any facility or person providing accommodation for the mentally ill in Scotland. They visited each facility bi-annually, with their findings being published in their Annual Reports. They introduced statutory practices and procedures, aiding standardisation and improved record keeping. The General Board of Lunacy was replaced by the General Board of Control in 1913, and following the passing of the 1960 Mental Health (Scotland) Act, the Mental Welfare Commission was established.

Records of the Mental Welfare Commission, MC, held at National Records Scotland.

Enquiries for reproduction for commercial purposes should be directed to the Archivist, Dumfries and Galloway Archives and Local Studies

The papers are available at Dumfries and Galloway Archives subject to conditions of UK Data Protection Act 1998, Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and NHS Records Management Code of Practice 2012. Subject to these restrictions, this material is being digitised by the University of Glasgow as part of a Wellcome Trust funded project. Material that is digitised will be accessed freely online through the Wellcome Library catalogue.