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Areas:
Anywhere in the UK Essex
Categories:
Fees £51 - £149 Not more than £50 within 10 miles of home Art and Architecture General Interest History Science
Talk Topics:

Rachael Bailey-Gibson

Location: Chelmsford Essex
About The Speaker...

I was born in Brentwood and have a lifelong interest in history, which began at an early age when my father took me to parish churches all over Essex as brass rubbing was his hobby. The walls of my childhood home were covered with effigies of knights, lords, and ladies – many of them I was afraid to look at!

After gaining a distinction at Master’s in History in 2022, I was awarded the prestigious Future 100 Centenary Scholarship by the University of Leicester, working within their globally renowned Victorian Studies Centre. I am now nearing the completion of my PhD on nineteenth-century psychiatrists. My research continues to focus on the history of psychiatry and pauper lunatic asylums.

About Their Talks...

My talks last one hour but can be easily tailored to fit your schedule. I always have a PowerPoint presentation with lots of images. My talks include entertaining quiz-type tasks that participants can complete. Real case studies and links to more information about the different topics. There will also be time for a question-and-answer session at the end. Please note that some of the subject matter and images may be distressing to some people. Therefore, the content can be varied depending on the audience.

I supply handouts and can bring an overhead projector and laptop if required.

Fee:

£50 anywhere in Essex. I am prepared to travel anywhere in the country and will give a sensible quote.

My Contact Details:
Phone:

07981372646

Email:

rachaeld.gibson@gmail.com

View Talks by Rachael Bailey-Gibson

From Bedlam to Bipolar: Changing Attitudes Towards Mental Health

Madness is as old as time, and in just one hour, this talk will look at the different attitudes and approaches to mental health problems from antiquity (when the mad were thought to be possessed by evil spirits), to Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece, Rome, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, to the present day. The history of ‘Bedlam’ and some notable ‘Bedlamites’, as well as the birth of the pauper lunatic asylum and the madness of King George III, will be considered. What we think we know about Victorian lunatic asylums will be questioned, with some truths and misconceptions that will amaze! The talk will conclude with the twentieth century, looking at ‘treatment’ such as electroconvulsive therapy and medications, along with notable psychiatrists such as Freud.

The History of Essex Lunatic Asylum [Warley Hospital]

This talk explores the fascinating history of the Essex Lunatic Asylum, which opened in 1853 and was renamed Brentwood Mental Hospital at the beginning of the 20th century, subsequently changing to Warley Hospital. My talk focuses on the nineteenth century, examining the psychiatrists and patients, as well as treatments (many of which were extraordinary) and living conditions. Some harrowing case studies of real patients will be explored. It also focuses on one of the first female psychiatrists to practice in the country and the challenges that she faced in a male-dominated environment.

Theatre in the Pauper Lunatic Asylum

On Friday, 25th January 1878, the Essex Standard reported that an amateur production of Byron’s well-known burlesque extravaganza, ‘Aladdin or the Wonderful Scamp’, had been performed in front of a lively and appreciative audience. What made this performance ‘noteworthy’ was that the theatre was within the Essex County Pauper Lunatic Asylum and the audience, who happily sat together, consisted of an assortment of ‘principal families of the neighbourhood’ and pauper patients.
Yet, Victorian asylums have a reputation for being ‘snake pits’ or ‘bins’ where patients were hidden away from society. This fascinating talk will challenge this idea by demonstrating that theatrical performances were a regular and much-loved part of asylum life. The medical superintendent, assistant medical officers, asylum staff, and their families would dress up, put on face paint, and perform on stage throughout the winter months. These performances helped alleviate the monotony of asylum life and garnered much-needed support for the asylum within the community. Theatricals were also essential to the patient’s therapeutic care and served as a means for medical officers to assess whether a patient was on the road to recovery.

Rachael Bailey-Gibson Contact Details:
Phone:

07981372646

Email:

rachaeld.gibson@gmail.com

Send a message to Rachael Bailey-Gibson