"They were referred to as idiots and illiterates. Nobody had heard of the terms dementia or schizophrenia. Psychiatry was a young branch of science.
A small group of volunteers are sensitively and gradually telling the tales of those who resided at the Somerset and Bath Pauper Lunatic Asylum in the town of Somerset.
One of the volunteers, Clare Blackmore, said, "Patients who were put in there were dirt poor.".
"They were in need. There were a good deal of kids there. The mother can no longer handle it, it frequently says in their notes," she continued.
In South Horrington, close to Wells, the asylum first opened its doors in 1848, initially housing 300 patients.
Prior to the structure's closure in 1991, it accepted patients from Somerset and Bristol and went by the name Mendip Hospital.
When it first opened, "Dr. Robert Boyd ran it," Ms. Blackmore recalled.
He supported the ethical treatment of the insane. He valued compassion, consideration, physical activity, a healthy diet, and a comfortable bed.
"He would feed the patients well, give them work experience, music therapy, and entertainment. He stated that if you could improve your physical condition, your mental condition would also improve, she continued.
An area close to the asylum was designated for patient burial, and a chapel was built there.
There were about 2,900 burials there, but the cemetery was abandoned after the asylum closed.
A community campaign in Wells resulted in the site being saved, with volunteers reclaiming the land as a nature reserve. It had grown overgrown and was slated for development.
No headstones were present because the patients were destitute. An iron marker with a number was instead placed over each grave to help identify the person interred there.
Many of the original markers have been uprooted and are now scattered around the cemetery, but the volunteers hope to locate each patient's grave and erect a plaque to honor them specifically.
The volunteer group's leader, Peter Jaggard, claimed that "We have the records for everyone who is buried here.".
They provide information such as their name, the names of their relatives, their occupation, and a description taken from hospital records.
"We are building a database where people can look up their ancestors or read about the working classes in the 19th century.
These individuals received excellent care. Its name was not given to it by accident. People seek asylum despite the negative perception that lunatic asylums are bad places. It was for the purpose of caring for people, he continued.
The lives of many asylum residents were essentially forgotten for many years. The Somerset Heritage Centre's archives contain their notes, which have been kept out of sight but are now being transcription for the first time.
Casey Reddin claimed that while looking through archives to learn more about patients' lives, she frequently experiences emotional distress.
She cited the example of Joseph Tye, a young boy who entered the facility at the age of ten and passed away there.
"I cherish him so much. Here, he is interred. He and I speak frequently. I converse with each of them. It has been incredibly emotional.
It is an emotional journey, Ms. Reddin continued, "to see people either improve and go on to a better life or see people go downhill.".
People living in America, Australia, Germany, as well as here at home, have contacted the group with inquiries about their ancestors.
One woman reportedly saw a picture of her great-grandmother for the first time at one of the group's most recent exhibitions, according to Ms. Blackmore.
She said, "One lady cried, she had to leave for a while to gather her thoughts.
"I cherish this location. It's not something you'd typically say to people, but we're proud to welcome visitors to the cemetery.
"We're proud of the work done by only volunteers, as well as the passion and research that went into it. It's a special, distinctive place," she continued.
Starting at the beginning of April, the cemetery is accessible to the public on Sundays and Wednesdays.
