At Home in Broadmoor

Life in the Female Wing of Victorian and Edwardian Broadmoor

What was everyday life like for the women who lived, and worked, in Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum?

This talk will explore life in the ‘Women’s Division’ or ‘Female Wing’ of Broadmoor during the Victorian and Edwardian periods. It looks beyond the reasons why women were admitted to discover what living in the Asylum was like. What did the women do with their days? How did they spend their time, and what did they read, talk about and argue about? Alongside the patients’ experiences, the talk will also consider the lives of the female attendants, their work, and their relationships within the institution.

The talk tells the story of the female side of Broadmoor: not simply an asylum, but a place where women lived and worked, formed friendships and were cared for and managed—and, for many, spent much of their lives.

2 - 3.15pm

Pre-booking is required, because the event link will be sent in advance. First-time users of Zoom, will be asked to download a small piece of software, before joining the talk.     

Image: copyright Royal Berkshire Archives and reproduced with their kind permission.

About Berkshire Family History Society

This talk is organised by Berkshire Family History Society CIO, a registered charity number 1204390.