Growing up in the shadows of your sibling
Psychiatric hospitals and asylums of days past are sure to get a shiver or two out of anyone. The dark and disturbing history of outdated mental health practices, the gloomy cells echoing with the screams of the mad–it's hard to see any good in these old institutions. One of the scariest, and surely the most notorious of these old hospitals, is the Broadmoor asylum. Considered a prison disguised as a hospital by many, Broadmoor's history of housing the most dangerous along with England's psychologically distressed will surely unsettle anyone not in the know.
Intrigued? Read on to find out all about Broadmoor asylum and its infamous residents.
Originally known as the Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, this mental health complex is the oldest of its kind in England. Construction of the high-security hospital was completed in 1863.
Despite being called an asylum or a hospital, Broadmoor operated much more like a prison. Of course, it was always meant to be a hospital for individuals considered dangerous or criminal, but that doesn't excuse the virtually total lack of mental health professionals. To this day, the staff consists mostly of workers with backgrounds in the prison system, not the health system.
Mental health was notoriously misunderstood and mistreated until very recently, and the professionals at Broadmoor were no different. Early treatments rarely amounted to more than heavy medication-induced sedation, antagonizing talk therapy, and forced labor referred to as "chores." Later on, Broadmoor also became affiliated with the Koestler Awards prisoner art program.
The name of the first individual to be admitted to Broadmoor has been lost to time, but records show that she was a woman diagnosed as "feeble-minded," admitted on May 27, 1863, who was charged with infanticide. Later retrospective studies have concluded that the woman most likely suffered from congenital syphilis.
During World War I, the first residential block of Broadmoor was used as a holding camp for prisoners of war. During that time, Broadmoor Block One was mostly inhabited by German POWs suffering from severe psychological distress.
Twentieth-century asylums were notorious for their inhumane and often atrocious conditions and their poor treatment of patients. Broadmoor exemplified this epidemic of patient abuse better than most other hospitals of the time.
The once-beloved, now-disgraced English radio and television personality Jimmy Savile kept close ties to Broadmoor for decades. Savile, one of the most prolific alleged pedophilic sexual predators in history, possessed his own set of keys to Broadmoor's residential blocks, used for his 'volunteer work,' from 1968 up through 2004.
Savile, who has been accused of more than 1,000 counts of sexual abuse, also served on Broadmoor's board of directors at the time. Savile's recommendation led to one Alan Fraley becoming superintendent of the hospital. With Fraley in charge, Savile was allegedly free to abuse and exploit the patients of Broadmoor as he pleased. It is known that Fraley ignored at least three official complaints of sexual misconduct while in charge. Savile never faced jail time, and died in 2011.
Beyond Savile, sexual abuse and humiliation were allegedly commonplace within Broadmoor's towering walls for decades. Female patients were often forced to shower in front of male guests and attendees, and numerous unauthorized "patient-staff relationships" have been reported.
The abuse carried out within the walls of Broadmoor were both physical and intellectual. Private, confidential information about patients, both fact and fiction, were frequently released to the public and the press by attendants, nurses, and guards.
Popular tabloids such as The Sun frequently ran with fabricated, sensationalized, and illicitly obtained stories, making entertainment out of the hardships and ailments of Broadmoor's patient-prisoners. For many, the criminal past of the hospital's patients made them fair game.
John Straffen's escape from Broadmoor pushed the hospital even further towards the likeness of a prison. Straffen, a 22-year-old man, was admitted to the hospital after being convicted of the murder of two young girls in 1951.
Straffen, diagnosed with encephalitis and possibly suffering from schizophrenia, escaped just a few months after his admittance. Some five hours after escaping, Straffen reportedly took the life of another girl, five-year-old Linda Bowyer. In the wake of Straffen's escape, Broadmoor installed an alarm system, reminiscent of WWII air raid sirens, that could be heard from multiple surrounding towns.
Likely the most famous patient of Broadmoor, Charles Bronson is known around the world as Britain's most violent prisoner. Born Michael Peterson, Bronson changed his name at the start of his career as a bare-knuckle boxer.
Bronson first entered the justice system on a minor robbery charge in 1974, but his insatiable thirst for violence has led to Bronson spending about 50 years in various institutions (he's still not a free man). Bronson spent five years at Broadmoor, which he calls some of the five worst years of his life. In 1982, Bronson broke free onto the roof of Broadmoor, where he proceeded to tear the roof off, piece by piece, with his hands.
The youngest girl to ever be convicted of murder in England, Sharon Carr was only 12 years old when she allegedly murdered 18-year-old hairdresser Katie Rackliff. Two years later, after another stabbing incident in 1994, Carr was arrested and soon imprisoned.
Reportedly diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, Carr continued to boast about her murderous aspirations to family, therapist, and prison guards for years. Carr resided at Broadmoor from 1998 to 2007, where she regularly attacked attendants, other patients, and inflicted harm on herself. Originally only sentenced to 14 years of prison and therapy, Carr remains imprisoned, surely much to the relief of Rackliff's family (pictured).
James Kelly might not be a household name, but his possible alias surely is: Jack the Ripper. The true identity of Victorian England's most infamous serial killer has never been revealed, but few people have matched the description as well as James Kelly.
Kelly was first admitted to Broadmoor in 1883 after reportedly murdering his wife. Five years later, in 1888, Kelly escaped and successfully evaded capture for almost four decades. Jack the Ripper's reign of terror started only a few months after Kelly's escape, leading many to believe they were the same person. In 1927, Kelly turned himself, now an old man and claiming he wished to die "with his friends."
Welsh twins June and Jennifer Gibbons, the victims of racial abuse and ostracization as the only black children in their all-white neighborhood and school, seemed to only feel safe with each other. By the time they were teenagers, the twins refused to talk to anyone but each other, and used a secret language only they could understand.
After a string of petty thefts and acts of arson, the "Silent Twins" were admitted to Broadmoor for 12 years in 1981. There, the twins grew more and more reclusive, only speaking to each other and going catatonic when separated. In June 1993, Jennifer died mysteriously, and her sister June suddenly began speaking. According to June, the sisters had made an agreement that one should die and the other should work towards a life of normalcy.
Ronnie Kray (pictured left), one half of the notorious gangster duo the Kray twins, was a dangerous force of nature in mid-20th century London. Over the years, the Kray twins were accused and convicted of numerous acts of robbery, arson, and murder.
When the brothers were finally arrested, Ronnie was diagnosed with schizophrenia and sentenced to life imprisonment at Broadmoor. According to legend, Kray was treated as royalty, and even had personal butlers to tend to him hand and foot.
Once a member of the Australian parliament, Thomas John Ley's career as an alleged murderer would end up drastically overshadowing his efforts as a politician.
Ley was suspected of the murder of at least one political rival in Australia, likely prompting his sudden move to England. In 1946, Ley suspected his girlfriend of having an affair with a local Londoner bartender. Ley and two accomplices allegedly tortured and murder the barman in what came to be known as the Chalk Pit Murder. Declared insane shortly after receiving a death sentence, Ley was instead admitted to Broadmoor, where he died shortly afterward.
Known as the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe is infamously considered one of the worst serial killers in England's history. Arrested in 1981, Sutcliffe was proven to have murdered at least 13 women between 1975 and 1980, with seven other attempted murders suspected.
When one of the country's longest and most expensive manhunts finally came to an end in 1981, Sutcliffe was sentenced to 20 consecutive terms of life imprisonment. Shortly after, however, Sutcliffe was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, landing him in Broadmoor instead of a conventional prison. Sutcliffe remained in Broadmoor until 2016, experiencing numerous attempts on his life from other patients over the decades. He died in 2020.
Known as the Stockwell Strangler, Kenneth Erskine (pictured center) allegedly murdered at least seven elderly individuals in 1986 via strangulation as he invaded and burglarized their homes. Two years later, Erskine was transferred to Broadmoor, where he remains. In 1996, Erskine saved fellow prisoner Peter Sutcliffe from one of the many attempts made on the Yorkshire Ripper's life.
Graham Young, known in the tabloids as the Tea Cup Killer, was fascinated with poisons from a young age. In 1962, at only 14 years old, Young was arrested for poisoning his father, sister, and a friend from school. Declared insane, Young was admitted to Broadmoor, where he continued to administer poison to his fellow patients.
Sources: (National World) (The National Archives) (BBC)
The history of Broadmoor asylum and its notable residents
The high-security facility holds some of England's most dangerous criminals
LIFESTYLE Institutions
Psychiatric hospitals and asylums of days past are sure to get a shiver or two out of anyone. The dark and disturbing history of outdated mental health practices, the gloomy cells echoing with the screams of the mad–it's hard to see any good in these old institutions. One of the scariest, and surely the most notorious of these old hospitals, is the Broadmoor asylum. Considered a prison disguised as a hospital by many, Broadmoor's history of housing the most dangerous along with England's psychologically distressed will surely unsettle anyone not in the know.
Intrigued? Read on to find out all about Broadmoor asylum and its infamous residents.