| Reference Number | S22/3/1/5 |
| Catalogue Level | SubSeries |
| Title | Isle of Man Mental Hospital: Admission Papers & Guardianship Forms |
| Date | 1904-1970 |
| Description | This subseries contains reception orders and guardianship forms for patients admitted to Ballamona Mental Hospital, Braddan, covering the period from 1904 to 1970.
Reception orders are the documents required for the admission or transfer of a patient to the Lunatic Asylum and its successors under the relevant legislation. Each order was completed by a Justice of the Peace, directing the asylum to receive the named patient. Information recorded on the order includes the patient’s personal and medical history, physical and mental condition, place of abode, age, marital status, occupation, and a medical certificate signed by a doctor.
Guardianship forms record the admission of individuals into the care of the Isle of Man Mental Hospital under the provisions of the Mental Diseases Act 1924. These forms relate to individuals classified by the Act as ‘Idiots’ or ‘Imbeciles’, distinct from ‘Lunatics’, for whom the Mental Hospital was primarily established (these terms reflect the medical definitions in use at the time). The legislation enabled the hospital to assume a guardianship role for those admitted under these categories.
This subseries has been catalogued separately from S22/3/1/1: Isle of Man Mental Hospital Reception Orders and S22/3/1/4: Isle of Man Mental Hospital Guardianship Forms, in order to preserve the original filing arrangement.
The majority of the reception orders in this subseries are closed. Because the records are arranged alphabetically by surname rather than by date, open records do not appear in numerical sequence. As a result, gaps in the numbering system, or subsections with no entries indicate records that are currently closed. These records will be added to the catalogue once they become open. |
| Notes | In this catalogue you may find terminology or language included in historical record titles and descriptions that are today considered offensive or pejorative. These terms have been retained in the catalogue in order to reflect the historical accuracy of the record. All such terms will appear in inverted commas and they are in no way representative of views or opinions of the Isle of Man Government in the 21st Century. The only exception where inverted commas have not been used is for administrative bodies that carried the expression 'Lunatic' in their title, as this was the formal name of the institution itself. We apologise for any offence that our inclusion of these words may cause. |
| Format | Paper |
| Arrangement of Series | The records in this subseries have been arranged according to the filing structure in which they were received by the Public Record Office.
The main filing sequence is divided into the following sections:
- S22/3/1/5/1: Admission and Guardianship Papers for Patients (Surnames A–K);
- S22/3/1/5/2: Admission and Guardianship Papers for Patients (Surnames L–Z);
- S22/3/1/5/3: Admission Papers for Patients Later Discharged;
- S22/3/1/5/4: Cancelled Certificates;
- S22/3/1/5/5: Original Certificates.
The reception orders and guardianship forms are filed alphabetically by surname. Within the first three sections, the records were further classified into subfolders based on categories of mental illness, for example, patients deemed to be of unsound mind or defective. This additional classification is reflected in the structure of the catalogue. |
| Access | Partially closed |
| Access Conditions | This subseries is partially closed to public access for 84 of 100 years under the Public Records Act – Public Records Order 2015, as it contains sensitive personal information (categories B2 and C2). For further information, please contact the Isle of Man Public Record Office at public.records@gov.im |
| Extent | 4 archive boxes |
| AltRefNo | C113 |
| AccNo | A35 |