The Life and Death of Hannah Wiltshire: Bedminster Union Workhouse and Victorian social attitudes to Epilepsy

In 1855 rumours of murder and a cover up were circulating in the small north Somerset village of Walton-in-Gordano.  An epileptic destitute country girl, Hannah Wiltshire, had died in the Bedminster Union Workhouse at Flax Bourton. The Board of Guardians were suspected of concealing the true magnitude of neglect at the workhouse, leading to accusations of medical negligence.  Wiltshire’s death caused public outrage after letters were written to the local newspapers, sparking a campaign for transparency, accountability and social justice, fought for by the local community.

This talk examines the treatment of the vulnerable poor living in rural England during the mid-nineteenth century and considers Victorian attitudes to mental health and epilepsy.