Insanity in Islington: treatment and records

Speaker: Dr Kathy Chater
Time: 8:00 PM
Venue: Islington Town Hall, Upper Street, London N1

Often surrounded with shame, guilt and secrecy, the subject of mental health is for some a taboo subject. How have attitudes changed over time? How were the insane treated in the past, and where are the records?

Kathy Chater has been tracing her own ancestry for some thirty years. For fifteen years she did research at the BBC but now is self-employed as a trainer, consultant and writer on historical and genealogical subjects. She has a Diploma in Genealogy and the History of the Family from Birkbeck College and has taught adult education classes. In 2007 she completed a PhD on black people in England c.1660 – 1807, published by Manchester University Press in 2009. She continues to write and publish widely, and retains links with the broadcast media.