Family, Community and the 'Idiot' in Mid-nineteenth Century North Wales

Abstract

In mid-nineteenth century north Wales, and indeed in Wales generally, 'community care' of persons with learning disabilities aided by the Poor Law survived longer than in England, where institutionalisation in the workhouse or asylum became the norm. This prehistory of community care has been largely unexplored, largely because of the difficulties of obtaining data. After discussing the methodology, and discussing the Lunacy and Poor Law documents used as sources, this paper seeks to advance understanding by using longitudinal histories of individuals with learning disability to explore their varied experiences in the community. It examines the attitudes of officialdom, and the role of family and community, and concludes by suggesting key factors in determining individual life stories included the presence of family, the ability to work, the degree of 'difficulty' or 'dangerousness' they presented.