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Thomas PALK - Staverton and Broadmoor

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  • Thomas PALK - Staverton and Broadmoor

    Thomas Palk was born in Staverton, Devon in 1854. In 1880 he was committed to Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum. I have found him there in 1881 and 1891, but nothing after that, neither on census nor BMD records.

    The death of a Thomas Palk (66) was registered in Newton Abbot Dec Q 1920 which could be him if he had been discharged and returned to home territory, but this is totally speculative and even a death certificate may not be conclusive unless I can trace his whereabouts in 1901 and 1911.

    Can anyone help, please?

  • #2
    If you wanted to research his time at Broadmoor, then their archive is held at the Berkshire Record Office in Reading http://www.berkshirerecordoffice.org.uk/

    If they can locate his patient record, then it will hopefully say when he was discharged and why.

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    • #3
      In 1901 the Broadmoor patients are identified by their initials. There is a male patient there with the initials TP aged 47, an "ordinary agricultural labourer" born in Staverton. Ancestry has his birth place transcribed as Stelleston but it definitely looks like Staverton. RG13, piece 1164, folio 99, page 7

      Jackie

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      • #4
        I don't have a sub for 1911 but if you do a free search with the same information as in the 1901, it looks as though he could still be there. You would need to see the image to confirm that though
        Jackie

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        • #5
          Many thanks Velma and Jackie, you have given me great hope that I may now be able to get to the bottom of this. Thomas was my grandmother's uncle and, perhaps not surprisingly, I had never heard of him in any oral family history.

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          • #6
            Don't forget that Broadmoor was for the criminally insane, so there must have been a court case. I've looked on The Times Digital Archive and can't see anything. You could try looking at British Library newspapers - there's free access right now, for more info see this thread http://www.familytreeforum.com/showt...ish-Newspapers

            If there's nothing on there, you could try local/regional newspaper archives.

            I've also loooked on the Old Bailey website and there's nothing listed there.

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            • #7
              There's no Thomas Palk buried at Crowthorne which is the cemetery for Broadmoor, although of course if he died as an inmate the family could have had him buried elsewhere.

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              • #8
                There is a report in the papers for 1880 which looks like it is for Thomas Palk Devon. Could send if you are interested.

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                • #9
                  Thanks Velma, Jill and Treesa for your interest and helpful suggestions.

                  Yes, I have seen the report of his court case, which is how I knew the date of his detention. My principal interest is in what happened to him afterwards. Now that it looks as of he remained an inmate until 1911, I need to obtain details of his death/discharge from the Broadmoor records and, depending what is revealed, the death certificate of the Thomas Palk who died in Newton Abbot in 1920.

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                  • #10
                    Hi

                    Did your Thomas Palk ever marry that you know of. I only ask cos the one visbible in Broadmoor as per the 1911 shows to be married.
                    WendyP

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                    • #11
                      I am waiting receipt of a marriage certificate that I expect will show that Thomas married Sarah Ann Hayman in Newton Abbot in 1877. He was charged with assaulting his wife, but the newspaper report names her as Nora. I have been unable to trace any Thomas Palk/Nora marriage so I am assuming it is a case of sloppy reporting. On the other hand his step-mother was named Nora and all were living in Broadhempston where the assualt took place, so it is just possible that the paper mis-reported the relationship of the victim.

                      Looking at BMD Index, it looks as if his wife may have died in 1888 - I have not found her after 1881 - but I have delayed obtaining a death certificate until I have confirmed the marriage. I suppose it is just possible that Broadmoor was not informed of the death (if death there was).

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