| New Norfolk, Insane Asylum (Tasmania) |
With permission from "Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office".
While researching I found that Charles Alexander Makepeace (1837-1888) spent some of his life at the New Norfolk Hospital for the Insane.
Three months before his death in 1888 Charles escaped from the hospital and was recaptured.
He died October 1888 at the hospital.
As of yet I haven't managed to find out why Charles was admitted to an insane hospital. My own personal thoughts on this is that in those days he may have just suffered from depression or that he may have what we call today 'Special Needs'. as it states in the 'Launceston Examiner newspaper 1888'
'Charles Makepeace, an imbecile, who recently escaped from New Town Asylum, was yesterday captured by Sergeant Oakes in the Domain, and sent back to the institution..'
Here is a link of some better photographs of the hospital....to give you some insight on what it must have been like.
http://www.korske.com/blog/photography/tasmania-willow-court-asylum-new-norfolk.html
Link to some information on the hospital
