The Commissioners in Lunacy or Lunacy Commission was a

public body A statutory corporation is a government entity created as a statutory body by statute. Their precise nature varies by jurisdiction, but they are corporations owned by a government or controlled by national or sub-national government to the (in ...

established by the

Lunacy Act 1845 The Lunacy Act 1845 or the Lunatics Act 1845 ( 8 & 9 Vict. c. 100) and the County Asylums Act 1845 ( 8 & 9 Vict. c. 126) formed mental health law in England and Wales from 1845 to 1890. The Lunacy Act's most important provision was a change in t ...

to oversee asylums and the welfare of

mentally ill A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

people in

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the Law of the United Kingdom#Legal jurisdictions, three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Th ...

. It succeeded the Metropolitan Commissioners in Lunacy.

Previous bodies

The predecessors of the Commissioners in Lunacy were the Metropolitan Commissioners in Lunacy, dating back to the

Madhouses Act 1774 The Madhouses Act 1774 ( 14 Geo. 3. c. 49) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, which set out a legal framework for regulating "madhouses" (insane asylums). Background By the mid-eighteenth century, the common methods in the United ...

, and established as such by the Madhouses Act 1828. By 1842 their remit had been extended from London to cover the whole country. The Lord Chancellor's jurisdiction over lunatics so found by writ of ''De Lunatico Inquirendo'' had been delegated to two Masters-in-Chancery. By the Lunacy Act 1842 ( 5 & 6 Vict. c. 64), these were established as the ''Commissioners in Lunacy'' and after the

they were retitled ''Masters in Lunacy''.Jones (2003) p.222

Establishment

Anthony Ashley-Cooper, Seventh Earl of Shaftesbury was the head of the commission from its founding in 1845 until his death in 1885. The Lunacy Commission was made up of eleven Metropolitan Commissioners: three medical, three legal and five laymen. The commission was monumental as it was not only a full-time commission, but it was also salaried for six of its members. The six members of the commission who were full-time and salaried were the three members of the legal system and the three members of the medical community. The other five lay members of the commission were all honorary members who simply had to attend board meetings. The duty of the commission was to carry out the provisions of the act, reporting to the

Poor Law Commissioners The Poor Law Commission was a body established to administer poor relief after the passing of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. The commission was made up of three commissioners who became known as "The Bashaws of Somerset House", their secretary ...

(in the case of workhouses) and to the

Lord Chancellor The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...

. The first secretary to the commissioners was Robert Wilfred Skeffington Lutwidge, a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

and uncle of

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...

. He had previously been one of the Metropolitan Commissioners, and later become an Inspector of the Commission. A Master in Lunacy ranked next after a

Master in Chancery The Court of Chancery was a court of equity in England and Wales that followed a set of loose rules to avoid a slow pace of change and possible harshness (or "inequity") of the common law. The Chancery had jurisdiction over all matters of eq ...

in the

order of precedence An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of importance applied to individuals, groups, or organizations. For individuals, it is most often used for diplomats in attendance at very formal occasions. It can also be used in the context of ...

Asylums commissioned

The following asylums were commissioned under the auspices of the Commissioners in Lunacy (or their predecessors): ;English county asylums * First Bedford County Asylum (

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...

), 1812 * Second Bedfordshire County Asylum ( Fairfield), 1860 * Berkshire County Asylum (

Moulsford Moulsford is a village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire. Before 1974, it was in the county of Berkshire, in Wallingford Rural District, but following the Berkshire boundary changes of that year it became a part of Oxfordshire. Moulsford is ...

), 1870 * Buckinghamshire County Asylum (

Stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

), 1853 * Cambridgeshire County Asylum (

Fulbourn Fulbourn is a village in Cambridgeshire, England, with evidence of settlement dating back to Neolithic times. The village was probably established under its current name by 1200. The waterfowl-frequented stream after which it was named lies i ...

), 1858 * First Cheshire County Asylum (

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

), 1829 * Second Cheshire County Asylum (

Macclesfield Macclesfield () is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. It is sited on the River Bollin and the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east; the town lies south of Ma ...

), 1871 * Cornwall County Asylum (

Bodmin Bodmin () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated south-west of Bodmin Moor. The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character. It is bordered ...

), 1818 * Cumberland and Westmorland County Asylum ( Carleton), 1862 * Derbyshire County Asylum (

Mickleover Mickleover is a village in the unitary authority of Derby, in Derbyshire, England. It is west of Derby, northeast of Burton upon Trent, southeast of Ashbourne and northeast of Uttoxeter. History The earliest recorded mention of Mickleov ...

), 1851 * Devon County Asylum (

Exminster Exminster is a village west of the Exeter Canal, Exeter ship canal and River Exe in Devon, England, south of Exeter, with a population of 4,379 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census. Exminster is an ancient village associated with a A ...

), 1845 * Dorset County Asylum (

Charminster Charminster is a village and civil parish in west Dorset, England, situated on the River Cerne and A352 road north of the county town Dorchester. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 2,940 and also contains the hamlet of Ch ...

), 1863 * Durham County Asylum (

Sedgefield Sedgefield is a market town and civil parish in County Durham, England. It had a population of 4,986 in the 2021 census. It has the only operating racecourse in County Durham. Etymology The name ''Sedgefield'' is of Old English origin. It ...

), 1858 * East Riding County Asylum (

Walkington Walkington is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately to the south-west of the town of Beverley on the B1230 road, and Beverley Grammar School. The civil parish is formed by the villag ...

), 1871 * East Sussex County Asylum (

Hellingly Hellingly ( ) is a village, and can also refer to a civil parish, and to a district ward, in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. Geography Hellingly contains the confluence of the River Cuckmere and one of its tributaries, the Bull ...

), 1898 * First Essex County Asylum ( Brentwood), 1853 * Second Essex County Asylum (

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''. Colchester occupies the ...

), 1913 * First Gloucestershire County Asylum (

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

), 1823 * Second Gloucestershire County Asylum (

), 1883 * First Hampshire County Asylum ( Knowle), 1852 * Second Hampshire County Asylum (

Basingstoke Basingstoke ( ) is a town in Hampshire, situated in south-central England across a valley at the source of the River Loddon on the western edge of the North Downs. It is the largest settlement in Hampshire without city status in the United King ...

), 1917 * Herefordshire County Asylum (

Burghill Burghill is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, north-west of Hereford. The parish includes the villages of Burghill, Tillington, Herefordshire, Tillington, Portway and Eltons Marsh. It was originally a small village of farms ...

), 1868 * Hertfordshire County Asylum (

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

), 1899 * Isle of Wight County Asylum (

Gatcombe Gatcombe is a village in the civil parish of Chillerton and Gatcombe, on the Isle of Wight, England. It is located about two and a half miles south of Newport, in the centre of the island. The parish, which includes Chillerton, had a populatio ...

), 1896 * First Kent County Asylum (

Barming Heath Barming Heath is an area of western Maidstone in Kent, England. Its parish church is dedicated to St Andrew. References See also *Barming *East Barming *Oakwood Hospital Oakwood Hospital in Barming Heath near Maidstone, England was a psyc ...

), 1833 * Second Kent County Asylum (

Chartham Chartham is a village and civil parish in the City of Canterbury, Canterbury district of Kent, England. It is situated on the Ashford side of the city, and is in the North Downs, North Downs area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, south west of Ca ...

), 1875 * Kesteven County Asylum ( Quarrington, 1897 * First Lancashire County Asylum (

Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...

), 1816 * Second Lancashire County Asylum (

Prestwich Prestwich ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England, north of Manchester, north of Salford and south of Bury. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, Prestwich was the seat of the ...

), 1851 * Third Lancashire County Asylum (

Rainhill Rainhill is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside, England. The population at the 2011 census was 10,853. Historically part of Lancashire, Rainhill was a township in the ecclesiastical parish of Prescot ...

), 1851 * Fourth Lancashire County Asylum ( Whittingham), 1873 * Fifth Lancashire County Asylum ( Winwick), 1897 * Sixth Lancashire County Asylum ( Whalley), 1915 * Leicestershire County Asylum (

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

), 1837 * Lincolnshire County Asylum (

Bracebridge Heath Bracebridge Heath is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is south of Lincoln, England, Lincoln and straddles the border with the Lincoln and North Kesteven district boundaries. It lies at the ...

), 1852 * First London County Asylum (

Hanwell Hanwell () is a town in the London Borough of Ealing. It is about west of Ealing Broadway and had a population of 28,768 as of 2011. It is the westernmost location of the London post town. Hanwell is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. St ...

), 1831 * Second London County Asylum (

Colney Hatch Colney Hatch () is the historical name for a small district within the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. Colney Hatch refers to a loosely defined area centred on the northern end of Colney Hatch Lane (B550), which connects Friern ...

), 1849 * Third London County Asylum ( Belmont), 1877 * Fourth London County Asylum (

Coulsdon Coulsdon (, traditionally pronounced ) is a town in south London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon. Coulsdon was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey that included the settlements of Purley and Kenley. It was merged with Sand ...

), 1882 * Fifth London County Asylum (

Woodford Bridge Woodford Bridge is part of the East London suburb of Woodford, in the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located on an old road between Chigwell and Leytonstone. Notable features Its notable features include St Paul's Church, Woodford B ...

), 1893 * Sixth London County Asylum (

Epsom Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain ...

), 1899 * Seventh London County Asylum (

Dartford Heath Dartford Heath Common is an area of open heathland situated to the south-west of Dartford, Kent, England, that covers around of open space. Dartford Heath is classified as lowland heath and is one of only two substantial heathland blocks remaini ...

), 1898 * Eighth London County Asylum (

), 1902 * Ninth London County Asylum (

), 1904 * Tenth London County Asylum (

), 1907 * Eleventh London County Asylum (

), 1921 * Norfolk County Asylum (

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

), 1814 * Northamptonshire County Asylum (

Duston Duston is a suburb of Northampton and a civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England. History Archaeological remains found in the area suggest that Duston has roots in Prehistoric and Roman settlements. However, development in the area ...

), 1876 * Northumberland County Asylum ( Morpeth), 1859 * North Riding County Asylum ( Clifton), 1847 * First Nottinghamshire County Asylum (

Sneinton Sneinton (pronounced "Snenton") is a suburb of Nottingham and former civil parish in the Nottingham district, in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England. The area is bounded by Nottingham city centre to the west, Bakersfield to the n ...

), 1812 * Second Nottinghamshire County Asylum (

Radcliffe-on-Trent Radcliffe-on-Trent is a village and civil parish in the Rushcliffe borough of Nottinghamshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the Census 2011 was 8,205, falling slightly at the Census 2021 to 8,144 Location Radcliffe has a po ...

), 1902 * Oxfordshire County Asylum (

Littlemore Littlemore is a district and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Oxford, England. The civil parish includes part of Rose Hill, Oxfordshire, Rose Hill. It is about southeast of the city centre of Oxford, between Rose Hill, Blackbird Ley ...

), 1846 * Shropshire County Asylum (

Shelton Shelton may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Shelton, North Bedfordshire, in the parish of Dean and Shelton, Bedfordshire * Lower Shelton, in the parish of Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire * Upper Shelton, in the parish of Marston Moretaine, Bedf ...

), 1845 * First Somerset County Asylum ( Horrington), 1848 * Second Somerset County Asylum (

Norton Fitzwarren Norton Fitzwarren is a village, electoral ward, and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north west of Taunton. The village has a population of 3,046. History The village is on the southern slope of Norton Camp, a large hillfort that s ...

), 1897 * First Staffordshire County Asylum (

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingd ...

), 1818 * Second Staffordshire County Asylum (

Cheddleton Cheddleton is an ancient parish and village in the Staffordshire Moorlands, near to the town of Leek, England. History The earliest reference to the village of Cheddleton is in the Domesday Book when it was held by Roger de Montgomery, Earl o ...

), 1892 * Suffolk County Asylum ( Melton), 1827 * First Surrey County Asylum (

Tooting Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross. History Tooting has been settled since pre-Anglo-Saxons, Saxon times. The name is of Anglo-Saxon ori ...

), 1840 * Second Surrey County Asylum (

Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in north-west Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'', and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settleme ...

), 1867 * Third Surrey County Asylum (

Hooley Hooley is a village in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey, England. Within its small grid of streets is the 13th-century church of Chipstead which has been, since time immemorial, its ecclesiastical parish. Hooley is connected via pa ...

), 1905 * Sussex County Asylum (

Haywards Heath Haywards Heath ( ) is a town in West Sussex, England, south of London, north of Brighton, south of Gatwick Airport and northeast of the county town, Chichester. Nearby towns include Burgess Hill to the southwest, Horsham to the northwest, ...

), 1859 * Warwickshire County Asylum (

Hatton Hatton may refer to: Places England * Hatton, Cheshire West and Chester, a former civil parish * Hatton, Derbyshire, a village and civil parish * Hatton, Lincolnshire, a village and civil parish * Hatton, London, in the London Borough of Houn ...

), 1852 * First West Riding County Asylum (

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...

), 1818 * Second West Riding County Asylum ( Middlewood), 1872 * Third West Riding County Asylum (

Menston Menston is a village and civil parish in the City of Bradford in the county of West Yorkshire, England. Along with Burley in Wharfedale, most of Menston is within Wharfedale Ward in the metropolitan borough of Bradford. The remainder of Me ...

), 1885 * Fourth West Riding County Asylum (

Storthes Hall Storthes Hall is part of the civil parish of Kirkburton in West Yorkshire, England. A heavily wooded area, it comprises a single road, Storthes Hall Lane, which links Kirkburton to Farnley Tyas and Thurstonland. The most significant propertie ...

), 1904 * Fifth West Riding County Asylum (

Burley in Wharfedale Burley in Wharfedale is a village and civil parish within the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England, in the Wharfedale valley. In 2011, it had a population of 7,041. The village is on the A65 road, north-west from Leeds, north from B ...

), 1902 * West Sussex County Asylum (

Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...

), 1894 * Wiltshire County Asylum (

Devizes Devizes () is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman architecture, Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-cent ...

), 1849 * First Worcestershire County Asylum (

Powick Powick is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District, Malvern Hills district of Worcestershire, England, located two miles south of the city of Worcester, England, Worcester and four miles north of Great Malvern. The parish includ ...

), 1847 * Second Worcestershire County Asylum (

Bromsgrove Bromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England, about north-east of Worcester and south-west of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 34,755 in at the 2021 census. It gives its name to the wider Bromsgrove District, of which it is ...

), 1907 ;"New" mental hospitals established later by Middlesex County Council ''Note:'' The First Surrey County Asylum at Tooting (see above) was transferred to Middlesex County Council in 1888 and became the First Middlesex County Mental Hospital in the early 20th century * Second Middlesex County Mental Hospital (

London Colney London Colney () is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Hertfordshire, England. It is located to the north of London, close to Junction 22 of the M25 motorway. It is around south-east of St Albans city centre (and within ...

), 1905 * Third Middlesex County Mental Hospital (

Shenley Shenley is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, between Chipping Barnet, Barnet and St Albans. The village is located 14 miles from Central London. As of 2021, the population of the parish was 5,390; however, the parish stretc ...

), 1934 ;English borough asylums * Croydon Borough Asylum, 1903 * First Birmingham City Asylum, 1850 * Second Birmingham City Asylum, 1882 * Third Birmingham City Asylum, 1905 * Bristol City Asylum, 1861 * Canterbury Borough Asylum, 1902 * Derby Borough Asylum, 1888 * East Ham Borough Asylum, 1937 * Exeter City Asylum, 1886 * Gateshead Borough Asylum, 1914 * Ipswich Borough Asylum, 1870 * Kingston upon Hull Borough Asylum, 1883 * Leicester Borough Asylum, 1869 * Lincoln Borough Asylum, 1817 * Middlesbrough Borough Asylum, 1898 * Newcastle upon Tyne Borough Asylum, 1869 *

City of London Asylum Stone House Hospital was a hospital and former mental illness treatment facility in Stone, near Dartford, Kent, in the United Kingdom. History Stone House was originally constructed between 1862 and 1866 at the behest of the London Commissioners ...

, 1866 * Norwich Borough Asylum, 1828 * Nottingham Borough Asylum, 1880 * Plymouth Borough Asylum, 1891 * Portsmouth Borough Asylum, 1879 * Sunderland Borough Asylum, 1895 * West Ham Borough Asylum, 1901 * York Borough Asylum, 1906 ;Metropolitan Asylums Board asylums (established for chronic cases) * Caterham Asylum, 1870 * Darenth Asylum, 1878 * Leavesden Asylum, 1870 * Tooting Bec Asylum, 1903 ;Welsh county asylums * Brecon and Radnor County Asylum (

Talgarth Talgarth is a market town, community (Wales), community and electoral ward in southern Powys, Mid Wales, about north of Crickhowell, north-east of Brecon and south-east of Builth Wells. Notable buildings in the town include the 14th-century ...

), 1903 * Carmarthenshire, Cardigan and Pembrokeshire County Asylum (

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, ; , 'Merlin's fort' or possibly 'Sea-town fort') is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community (Wales), community in Wales, lying on the River Towy north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. At the 2021 United Kingdom cen ...

), 1865 * Denbighshire County Asylum (

Denbigh Denbigh ( ; ) is a market town and a community (Wales), community in Denbighshire, Wales. It was the original county town of the Denbighshire (historic), historic county of Denbighshire created in 1536. Denbigh's Welsh name () translates to ...

), 1844 * First Glamorgan County Asylum ( Pen-y-fai), 1864 * Second Glamorgan County Asylum (

Bridgend Bridgend (; or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge over the River Og ...

), 1886 * Monmouthshire County Asylum (

Abergavenny Abergavenny (; , , archaically , ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a "Gateway to Wales"; it is approximately from the England–Wales border, border with England and is loca ...

), 1851 ;Welsh borough asylums: * Cardiff City Asylum, 1908 * Newport Borough Asylum, 1906 * Swansea Borough Mental Hospital, 1932

Successors

The

Mental Deficiency Act 1913 The Mental Deficiency Act 1913 ( 3 & 4 Geo. 5. c. 28) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom creating provisions for the institutional treatment of people deemed to be "feeble-minded" and "moral defectives". People deemed "mentally ...

replaced the Commission with the

Board of Control for Lunacy and Mental Deficiency The Board of Control for Lunacy and Mental Deficiency was a body overseeing the treatment of the mentally ill in England and Wales. It was created by the Mental Deficiency Act 1913 to replace the Commissioners in Lunacy, under the Home Office ho ...

Commissioners

Incomplete list: *Thomas Turner, Medical (1845–1854)Jones (2003) p.191 * Henry Herbert Southey, Medical (1845–1848) *

Bryan Procter Bryan Waller Procter (pseud. Barry Cornwall) (21 November 17875 October 1874) was an English poet who served as a Commissioner in Lunacy. Life and career Born at Leeds, Yorkshire, he was educated at Harrow School, where he had for contemporari ...

, Legal (1845–1860) *

Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury (28 April 1801 – 1 October 1885), styled Lord Ashley from 1811 to 1851, was a British Tory politician, philanthropist, and social reformer. He was the eldest son of the 6th Earl of Shaftesbury ...

, Lay, chair (1845–1885) *

Robert Vernon, 1st Baron Lyveden Robert Vernon, 1st Baron Lyveden (23 February 1800 – 10 November 1873), known as Robert Vernon Smith until 1859, was a British Whig and then Liberal Party politician. Background and education Vernon was the son of Robert Percy Smith, of 20 ...

, Lay (1845–1860) *

Edward Seymour, 12th Duke of Somerset Edward Adolphus St. Maur, 12th Duke of Somerset, (20 December 180428 November 1885), styled Lord Seymour until 1855, was a British Whig aristocrat and politician, who served in various cabinet positions in the mid-19th century, including that ...

, Lay (1845–1852) *Robert Gordon, Lay (1845) *Francis Barlow, Lay (1845) *J. R. Southey, Medical (1845) *

James Cowles Prichard James Cowles Prichard (11 February 1786 – 23 December 1848) was a British physician and ethnologist with broad interests in physical anthropology and psychiatry. His influential ''Researches into the Physical History of Mankind'' touched upon ...

(1845–1848), Medical, in place of Southey who resigned *James Mylne, Legal (1845) *John Hancock Hall (1845) * Robert Wilfred Skeffington Lutwidge (appointed 1855) *John Davies Cleaton (1866–1893) *

Harry Davenport Harry Davenport may refer to: * Harry Davenport (actor) (1866–1949), American film and stage actor * Harry Davenport (footballer) (1900–1984), Australian footballer * Harry J. Davenport (1902–1977), Democratic Party member of the U.S. House o ...

(appointed 1889) * Edward Nugent, Earl of Milltown (appointed 1889) *

Henry Morgan-Clifford Henry Morgan-Clifford (1806 – 12 February 1884) was a British Liberal Party politician. He was elected unopposed at the 1847 general election as one of the two Member of Parliament (MPs) for the city of Hereford. He was re-elected in three ...

* Sir Marriott Cooke (1898–1914)

Footnotes

References

External links

*Web pages by Andrew Roberts at

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated to MDX) is a public research university based in Hendon, northwest London, England. The university also has campuses in Dubai and Mauritius. The name of the university is ...

:
The Lunacy Commission

{{DEFAULTSORT:Commissioners In Lunacy Mental health legal history of the United Kingdom Defunct public bodies of the United Kingdom