also party time where patients and staff were allowed to mix, although under
supervision, there would be dancing to the asylum band (made up of the
attendants) sandwiches, cakes and other treats were on offer.
Sometimes the staff organised their own parties,an unofficial party held In
july 1861 was such a drunken affair that an inquiry was called for.
89 people were at the party, this included attendants and their wives,
friends and some farm labourers. The party started at 8.00pm and ended
at 6.00am the following day.Dancing was going on the whole time in the
three day rooms that had been allocated for the entertainment, a separate
room was used for smoking. It was reported that 36 bottles of various
wine and spirits had been taken from the medical stores, even the asylum
Superintendent William Denne gave out approximately 160 quarts of beer
freely to anyone who wanted them.
The following day the farm bailiff reported to the committee that he saw one
of the attendants wives being led home by two other women,they all seemed
to be in a state of intoxication, He found the Cow Man laying in an unconscious
drunken state by the side of the road near the farm buildings along with a
young man who worked with him who was in the same drunken condition
When the farm labourers turned up late for work at 10am to help milk the
cows they were not in a fit state to do it.
The Commissioners strongly condemned Denne for his lack of supervision
and urged him to have a more cautious conduct in any future entertainments.
The social life of the staff extended to setting up a cricket team, an asylum
band, a choir and an amature dramatic society, known as the New Stagers
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