Broadmoor Revealed: Victorian Crime and the Lunatic Asylum – Mark Stevens

Started – 25.12.11

Finished – 31.12.11

Format – Kindle

 

Synopsis – Broadmoor Revealed gives the reader a glimpse behind the walls of England’s first Criminal Lunatic Asylum.

Focused on the Victorian period, the book tells the stories of some of the hospital’s best-known patients. There is Edward Oxford, who shot at Queen Victoria, and Richard Dadd, the brilliant artist and murderer of his father. There is also William Chester Minor, the surgeon from America who killed a stranger in London, and then played a key part in creating the world’s finest dictionary. Finally, there is Christiana Edmunds, ‘The Chocolate Cream Poisoner’ and frustrated lover.

To these four tales are added new ones, previously unknown. There were five women who went on to become mothers in Broadmoor, giving birth to life when three of them had previously taken it. Then there were the numerous escapes, actual and attempted, as the first doctors tried to assert control over their residents.

These are stories from the edge of where true crime meets mental illness. Broadmoor Revealed recounts what life was like for the criminally insane, over one hundred years ago.

 

My Thoughts – This was the first book that i read on my Kindle. This book was really insightful into what life was like within the victorian prison system. I did think that it was slightly shocking sometimes into what people in that time went to prison for, and sometimes sentanced to death for, for example stealing a coat or simular things like that.

 

This book covered various topics like the most well known broadmoor inmates, both male and female, broadmoor babies, security, escapes, what life was actually like within the prison. It also focused on a few key people that lived within the prison and it was fasinating to read about what they had done to land themselves in prison and how they lived while in the prison too.

 

I havent read all that much non fiction before but this was really good and interesting and the best part was it was actually a kindle freebie. This is really recommended.

 

Rating – 4.5