ABSTRACT
I Nterpretation and discussion has been employed freely throughout the text and, at this stage, little more needs to be done than to bring together the main conclusions and to make a tentative evaluation of the themes and events that have been described. At the outset, it needs to be recorded that the preparatory research for this book had not progressed far, before it became clear that a study of this nature would not be restricted by any lack of material. On the contrary, one of the most important findings of this research was that such an extensive body of information could be accumulated from a wide range of printed and MS. material. Quarter Sessions lunacy records constitute the largest single category of source material and the documents relating to private licensed houses, filed with the Oxfordshire Quarter Sessions records, have been shown to be representative of the most comprehensive series which have survived in England and Wales. The investigative survey of lunacy MSS. in 142 record repositories in England and Wales revealed the remarkable fact that some manuscript material has survived for a very large number of madhouses, despite the ravages of war and time. The bulk of this MS. material remains untouched, often only partly sorted and, undoubtedly, when taken as a whole, it provides considerable potential for further research by the medical historian. This finding is of particular relevance in the case of provincial madhouses, which tended to receive less publicity and attention than those in the metropolitan area. Only a very small quantity of madhouse records preserved in non-official custody has been located to date.
