Asylum: Downshire (HOS/14/1)
Registration Number: 6592

My name is Shaun from New Zealand, now living in Belfast, and I have been studying Margaret. 

Formerly from Kilkeel, Margaret and her husband David had two children. Her husband died in their bed, giving her a shock from which she never recovered. Margaret’s mental health deteriorated as she struggled to sleep; she only napped, crying and moaning. 

At age 73, she was living in Downpatrick with her sister, Elizabeth. Elizabeth reported that Margaret was ‘wildly excited’ and ‘difficult to control’. After two months of this, a doctor came to assess her. Margaret was examined for nervousness, diagnosed with fright and declared fit for committal to Downshire asylum, which she entered on 17th June 1920. 

Downshire was transitioning in the 1920s. Renamed Down Mental Hospital, it had a greater focus on caring for those with mental struggles. Margaret’s own time there was difficult. The doctor’s notes suggest she suffered from dementia, a condition for which there was little understanding or treatment at the time.

She developed a mistrust of her doctors refusing to answer their questions, and complained other patients were treated better than her. Food in asylums was meager and strictly regulated, but even Margaret ate little, as she suspected asylum staff of putting something in her food. 

Margaret spent just over six months in Downshire asylum, passing away on January 21st, 1921. She was presumably distressed, living in unfamiliar surroundings, but perhaps hopeful that she would see her husband again soon. 

Wide eyes, clouded mind. 

Cold hands clutching old bedsheets. 

What are they feeding me?

Researching Margaret’s time in Downshire was a poignant and fascinating insight into life in asylums. It reminded me of several of my own relatives who have experienced dementia, and the privilege of having patient family members who care for them.

I am grateful for how far mental health care has come in the last 100 years, and eager to hear all the stories that have yet to be told.

Margaret McMullan by Shaun Hickland

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