Charles Carter

1. Charles Carter, son of Ambrose S. Carter of Barking Lodge, St Thomas-in-the-East, and his second wife Leonora Sophia Carter, was baptised at Barking Lodge 05/02/1788 aged 6 months. The will of Leonora Sophia Carter dated 1837 mentions her son Charles, 'of unsound mind', who on the death of his mother would become entitled to the income for life from Newmarket estate in St Thomas-in-the-East.

2. 'Commission of Lunacy - Yesterday a commission of lunacy was opened at Hornsey-wood Tavern, before Mr. Commissioner Phillimore and a special jury, of which Mr Arthur Smith was foreman, to inquire into the state of mind of Mr. Charles Carter, an inmate of Northumberland House private lunatic asylum, at Stoke Newington. It appeared from the evidence adduced, that the unfortunate gentleman was a native of Chelmsford, Essex, and had beeen under confinement since the year 1818. He was in the habit of fancying himself surrounded by a great number of persons, and would swear and abuse imaginary beings; and, in short, he had no idea of the value of money, and the faculties of his mind appeared to be entirely prostrated. When he was introduced to the jury he started back, and seemed to be exceedingly timid. All attempts to make him understand the nature of the investigation were fruitless; and upon a sovereign being shown to Mr. Carter he stated that it was a 7s. piece. One unusual feature in the case was, that the unfortunate gentleman expressed himself perfectly happy, and exhibited great anxiety to get back to Northumberland House. The jury, after a patient investigation, found Mr. Carter insane, and incapable of governing either himself or his property. The inquiry was said to be rendered necessary by the death of Mr. Carter's mother, who has left him considerable property. His age appeared to be about 50.'

3. In the census of 1841 Charles Carter, age 50, 'West India merchant' was a patient at Northumberland House, Stoke Newington. His niece Susan Lindsay, daughter of his sister Ann Lindsay nee Carter, was a patient in the same institution in 1841. Charles Carter was still at Northumberland House in 1851 (by which time Susan Lindsay had been moved to Hanwell pauper asylum where she died in 1845).

4. On 28/04/1857 he was admited to the second Middlesex County Lunatic Asylum at Colney Hatch (later the Friern Hospital, Barnet), as a pauper. The records of Colney Hatch give his age as 68 (real age 70 or 71), that he was suffering from 'Dementia' and had been at Northumberland House for 30 years (an overestimate as Northumberland House opened as an asylum in 1829). He died at Colney Hatch 21/12/1857 and was buried in the Colney Hatch Asylum Cemetery 24/12/1857.

1. Familysearch.org, Jamaica Church of England Parish Register Transcripts, 1664-1880 [database online]. PROB 11/1897.

2. Newspaper cutting sent by Julie Weizenegger, 12/06/2014.

3. 1841 census online, where he is given as 'Charles Carters'; 1851 census online ('Annuitant, British Subject, West Indies' age 67 [sic - he would have been 63]).

4. Ancestry.co.uk, UK, Lunacy Patients Admission Registers, 1846-1912 [database online]. Email from Jen Lindsay 24/01/2020 sourced to London Metropolitan Archives Middlesex County Lunatic Asylum Colney Hatch records: H12/CH/B/01/003 Admissions Register (Male and Female) Nov 1853-Mar1858; H12/CH/B/O2/001 Admissions July 1851-Dec 1867; H12/CH/B/05/001 Alphabetical List (Male and Female) 1851-1858; H12/CH/B/13/006 Case book (Male) 9 Jany1857-22 June1859; H12/CH/G/1/001 Burial Register Aug 1851-Dec1865.

We are grateful to Julie Weizenegger and Jen Lindsay for their assistance with compiling this entry.