1878 Handwritten Letter from Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, Regarding The Receipt of Documents in the Case of Mrs. Weldon
12440On offer is a letter to W.E. Gladstone (British Prime Minister), acknowledging receipt of a letter with enclosure containing the case of Mrs. Weldon. Signed "Shaftesbury" and dated June 20 1878.
The reference to the case of Mrs. Weldon refers to her complaint that she had been sent somewhere; that some people, for some reason, wished to get her out of the way. Another recent trial about a man named Hillman actually was about sending him to a public asylum without proper examination by Justices. Prior to the Lunacy Act, lunacy legislation in England was enshrined in the County Asylums Act of 1808, which established institutions for poor and for criminally-insane, mentally ill people. The institutions were called asylums and they gave refuge where mental illness could receive proper treatment. The first asylum owing to the County Asylums Act opened at Northampton in 1811. By 1827 however only nine county asylums had opened and many patients were still in gaol as prisoners and criminals. As a consequence of this slow progress the Lunacy Act 1845 created the Lunacy Commission to focus on lunacy legislation. The Act was championed by Anthony Ashley-Cooper, Seventh Earl of Shaftesbury.
The Lunacy Act 1890 (53 Vict. ch. 5) formed the basis of mental health law in England and Wales from 1890 until 1959. It placed an obligation on local authorities to maintain institutions for the mentally ill.
Anthony Ashley Cooper (1801-1885), 7th Earl of Shaftesbury was a British British politician, philanthropist, and one of the most effective social and industrial reformers in 19th-century England. He was also the acknowledged leader of the evangelical movement within the Church of England.
William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898) PC FRS FSS was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served for twelve years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four terms beginning in 1868 and ending in 1894. He also served as Chancellor of the Exchequer four times.
This autograph letter is one page, 4-½ x 7 inches mounted to a card. Evidence of folds, age-tone, and minor staining. Good condition.
Please don't hesitate to contact us for more information or to request photos. (Kindly include the SKU, listed on this page above the price, in your e-mail so we can more easily answer your questions.)
