Catherine's Story

	Catherine was born Drogheda about 1782 she married John Wogan also from Drogheda a Soldier in the British army.
	A soldiers wife at that time followed her husband everywhere he went in fact she had a son born in Malta .She must
	have seen a lot of HORRIFIC injuries to other soldier's as the duration of John's carer spanned the Napoleonic wars
	until he was pensioned off in 1817.
	She had a sad ending to her life she spent 17 years in a lunatic hospital where she died .Following is the case notes
	for her for all the years that she was in Lancaster lunatic asylum nothing has been omitted.

Lancaster Moor Lane Lunatic Asylum

Case notes for Catherine Wogan

Admitted this day 8^th April 1840

A vagrant from Wigan aged 48 no cure.

Says she is married and has had seven children, much excited and violent and spits.

Born in Drogheda Ireland . She is swarthy with a low forehead.

Religion Roman Catholic she says she can read and write she is in good health mind a little impaired and very seldom spits at anyone,

incapable of being employed has dirty habits. Employed in sewing.

MARCH 26^th 1844

For a length of time attentive to her habits complexion clearer and quit left of spitting tolerably .Neat in her person constantly employed

in the wash house where she is very industrious though less rambling in her conversation than formerly is now sometimes heard to talk absurdly.

FEBRUARY 17^th 1851

No change in mind talks incoherently about her past life and confuses people and places. States that she has been at the battle

of the Nile, Trafalgar, Corunna, Waterloo and Valencia . Is practically and industriously employed in the washhouse

NOVEMBER 2^nd

No change in mental condition bodily health remains good.

MARCH 28^th 1857.

Has been failing in health since time appraisal legs odenatious and has lost much flesh.

APRIL 4^th

Unable to leave her bed and is very weakly.

APRIL 11^th

Scarcely to take any liquids less power of observation has a sore over sacrum.

APRIL 18^th

Died this day of old age and debility

Reproduced by kind permission of Lancashire Records office Preston

source of information Moor Lane Lancaster Lunatic Asylum case notes 1840.

	Now that you have read the case notes lets hope that this could not happen in this modern day, no follow up until
	4 years later then another 7 years until her next appraisal another 6 years before a flurry of notes before her death .
	She states that she had 7 children of which I have only found 3.
	In the February 17^th 1851 case notes she states that she had seen numerous battles I suppose to the people around
	her thought that she was mad after all she was in a Lunatic asylum.
	This was the truth apart from Trafalgar unless her husband John Wogan joined the navy she would have
	seen all the battles as she was a soldiers wife. In fact she had a child in Malta in 1807
	Her age at admission was 48 on her death certificate it states that she was 75 which was more in line with her age .
	It states that she was a vagrant ,she had a husband and 3 grown up sons in the 1841 census they were living in Manchester .Did she wander off or was she thrown out altogether a really sad story to be put in a asylum for being a vagrant and spitting

Catherine's Story