What do you think?
Rate this book
Inside Broadmoor: Secrets of the Criminally Insane - Revealed by the Chief Attendant
One Chief Attendant…
Charles Bishop Coleman worked at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum for 38 years between 1873 and 1912, where he met, guarded and wrote about the inside secrets of over 700 inmates.
Plus the criminally insane…
“One night, when alone in his Broadmoor cell, William Taylor suffered another attack of maniacal insanity and gouged out his own eyes with his fingers, completely destroying his sight.”
Equal shocking tales of murder & mayhem…
‘Jack the Ripper’ suspects James Kelly and Thomas Hayne Cutbush were both locked up in Broadmoor. Only one escaped, and in this book the secret of how he did it is disclosed. Together with exclusive and never before published photographs of one of the ‘Ripper’ suspects, plus other dangerous patients.
You won’t want to miss the words of Chief Attendant Coleman in this revealing new book.
Charles Bishop Coleman worked at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum for 38 years between 1873 and 1912, where he met, guarded and wrote about the inside secrets of over 700 inmates.
Plus the criminally insane…
“One night, when alone in his Broadmoor cell, William Taylor suffered another attack of maniacal insanity and gouged out his own eyes with his fingers, completely destroying his sight.”
Equal shocking tales of murder & mayhem…
‘Jack the Ripper’ suspects James Kelly and Thomas Hayne Cutbush were both locked up in Broadmoor. Only one escaped, and in this book the secret of how he did it is disclosed. Together with exclusive and never before published photographs of one of the ‘Ripper’ suspects, plus other dangerous patients.
You won’t want to miss the words of Chief Attendant Coleman in this revealing new book.
236 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 29, 2016
34 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Kim Forester
1 book2 followersKim Forester BA (Hons) was born in Berkshire and has lived and worked in several regions of the United Kingdom, but currently resides in East Anglia. A former employee of the Crown Prosecution Service she has developed a keen interest in amateur genealogy and has extensively researched her own family tree. Inside Broadmoor is her first book.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 11, 2019
This book is a work of non-fiction on revealing some of the patients that came and went, and even died at Broadmoor. Even though the subject matter within this book is somewhat shocking in parts, it is also quite fascinating.
I was greatly interested to learn about life during Victorian times, as this is an era that intrigues me. I was surprised to learn just how much family history went into an initial diagnosis of whether a being might be insane or not. For instance, if you had a relative of sorts that had been admitted into an asylum, you, yourself would have more of a chance of being declared insane. Back then, nothing was known about epilepsy, and it was considered a mental illness. Many were placed in mental asylums with epilepsy, because very little knowledge was know about the condition. Obviously, today, we hold more knowledge medically.
The subject matter is pretty morbid throughout, including diary entries containing information on domestic violence, which then lead to murder, and some were involving children. I did find these in particular difficult to digest.
There are some photos of patients that stayed in Broadmoor, and some staff. I found those particularly interesting, and I feel they added to the book. Overall, this was a strangely interesting book, but it certainly wasn't an easy read.
I was greatly interested to learn about life during Victorian times, as this is an era that intrigues me. I was surprised to learn just how much family history went into an initial diagnosis of whether a being might be insane or not. For instance, if you had a relative of sorts that had been admitted into an asylum, you, yourself would have more of a chance of being declared insane. Back then, nothing was known about epilepsy, and it was considered a mental illness. Many were placed in mental asylums with epilepsy, because very little knowledge was know about the condition. Obviously, today, we hold more knowledge medically.
The subject matter is pretty morbid throughout, including diary entries containing information on domestic violence, which then lead to murder, and some were involving children. I did find these in particular difficult to digest.
There are some photos of patients that stayed in Broadmoor, and some staff. I found those particularly interesting, and I feel they added to the book. Overall, this was a strangely interesting book, but it certainly wasn't an easy read.
September 22, 2016
Whilst I was reading this book I received a copy of 'The Sandhurst Residents Association' through the door. Broadmoor is a hot topic in my area at the moment, they are currently rebuilding it at a massive cost. And they are going to decommission the sirens, the only siren that will go off will be in the grounds of the hospital. Currently all the local areas have old air raid sirens, that are supposed to warn the local area's if a prisoner escapes. Naturally people are concerned as there have been a few escapees over the years! They test the sirens every Monday morning at 10am and it's a noise that I quite like, as weird as it sounds, it reminds me of home and I will be sad to see it go. Anyways I only mentioned this because it was nice to reading old history about the place and current events at the same time.
This book is based on Chief Attendant Coleman's diaries whilst he was working at Broadmoor between the years 1873 and 1912. Coleman's diary entries are very short and to the point which was disappointing as I was hoping for some emotion or insight as to what it would have been like to work there.
The author does a good job of fleshing out the entries and must have done loads of research to give us the background information on the name's Coleman has mentioned. After a while though it does get a little dry reading why each person had been sent to Broadmoor, this might be best read in small chunks alongside something else.
I actually really like the part where she describes Coleman's life before and after Broadmoor. He had a mortgage for £180 in Crowthorne! It's a shame his family sold that house in the 80's, it would have been worth hundreds of thousands now. It's also noted that he is buried in Crowthorne, this is not far from me and I suggested a visit to my partner, he gave me a look which clearly said no! Also like that it has lots of books to check out in the sources section.
Overall an interesting look at a fascinating place as it was during Victorian times. Recommended for anyone who likes their history dark and grisly.
This book is based on Chief Attendant Coleman's diaries whilst he was working at Broadmoor between the years 1873 and 1912. Coleman's diary entries are very short and to the point which was disappointing as I was hoping for some emotion or insight as to what it would have been like to work there.
The author does a good job of fleshing out the entries and must have done loads of research to give us the background information on the name's Coleman has mentioned. After a while though it does get a little dry reading why each person had been sent to Broadmoor, this might be best read in small chunks alongside something else.
I actually really like the part where she describes Coleman's life before and after Broadmoor. He had a mortgage for £180 in Crowthorne! It's a shame his family sold that house in the 80's, it would have been worth hundreds of thousands now. It's also noted that he is buried in Crowthorne, this is not far from me and I suggested a visit to my partner, he gave me a look which clearly said no! Also like that it has lots of books to check out in the sources section.
Overall an interesting look at a fascinating place as it was during Victorian times. Recommended for anyone who likes their history dark and grisly.
December 28, 2017
Interesting
Interesting book plenty of tales of how people ended up at Broadmoor. Would recommend to anyone interested in the history of crimes or asylums
Interesting book plenty of tales of how people ended up at Broadmoor. Would recommend to anyone interested in the history of crimes or asylums
October 5, 2017
This book is a work of non-fiction drawn from the private records kept by the author’s great grandfather Charles Bishop Coleman, who worked most of his life as an Attendant (and later Principal Attendant) at the Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum in Victorian and Edwardian England. It’s fascinating on several levels.
First, it’s a revealing insight into life in Victorian times, when nobody had a really good grasp of the causes and indications of mental illness. Great emphasis was placed on family history. If you had relatives who had been committed to a mental institution, you yourself were much more likely to be adjudged insane. And epilepsy was considered a form of insanity; today we know better. Also, if you were “strange in your manner,” that was a good indication of insanity. Having been hit on the head at some point was helpful in being diagnosed insane (that may have some merit, with what we’ve learned about concussions). I was also struck by the class divide, with remarks such as “He was considered remarkably intelligent for a common laborer” and the judging of people by the way they dressed for their court appearances.
Second, there is a notable contrast between the tools of murder used in that era and those common today. I was struck by how the weapons of choice were clubs and rocks used to knock people’s brains out, coupled with slashing weapons used especially to cut throats. I didn’t do a careful count, but I would guess only ten percent of the murders were committed with firearms. In one case the sound of the gun firing scared the perpetrator so much he ran away! Of course, the same proportion may be also true in Britain today, because firearms aren’t as common there as they are in the USA. I would guess that probably 90 percent of the murders in the USA utilize firearms.
Third, this compilation could be a great source of ideas for mystery writers who lay their books in 19th century Britain. Two potential candidates for Jack the Ripper passed through Broadmoor and those discussions are particularly interesting. Another interesting element is the insight into press coverage.
Finally, I can only say that I’m impressed by the quality of care provided in Broadmoor. The Attendants did their best to provide a reasonably normal life for their inmates, even providing musical and dramatic entertainments (in which Coleman participated with much gusto!) It seems to have been more a home than a prison or a warehouse.
This book can be a little depressing, showing as it does so much domestic violence – husband-wife murders and child murders – but it’s no more depressing than reading the news in our present day. I recommend the book for anyone interested in gaining insight into life in Victorian times.
First, it’s a revealing insight into life in Victorian times, when nobody had a really good grasp of the causes and indications of mental illness. Great emphasis was placed on family history. If you had relatives who had been committed to a mental institution, you yourself were much more likely to be adjudged insane. And epilepsy was considered a form of insanity; today we know better. Also, if you were “strange in your manner,” that was a good indication of insanity. Having been hit on the head at some point was helpful in being diagnosed insane (that may have some merit, with what we’ve learned about concussions). I was also struck by the class divide, with remarks such as “He was considered remarkably intelligent for a common laborer” and the judging of people by the way they dressed for their court appearances.
Second, there is a notable contrast between the tools of murder used in that era and those common today. I was struck by how the weapons of choice were clubs and rocks used to knock people’s brains out, coupled with slashing weapons used especially to cut throats. I didn’t do a careful count, but I would guess only ten percent of the murders were committed with firearms. In one case the sound of the gun firing scared the perpetrator so much he ran away! Of course, the same proportion may be also true in Britain today, because firearms aren’t as common there as they are in the USA. I would guess that probably 90 percent of the murders in the USA utilize firearms.
Third, this compilation could be a great source of ideas for mystery writers who lay their books in 19th century Britain. Two potential candidates for Jack the Ripper passed through Broadmoor and those discussions are particularly interesting. Another interesting element is the insight into press coverage.
Finally, I can only say that I’m impressed by the quality of care provided in Broadmoor. The Attendants did their best to provide a reasonably normal life for their inmates, even providing musical and dramatic entertainments (in which Coleman participated with much gusto!) It seems to have been more a home than a prison or a warehouse.
This book can be a little depressing, showing as it does so much domestic violence – husband-wife murders and child murders – but it’s no more depressing than reading the news in our present day. I recommend the book for anyone interested in gaining insight into life in Victorian times.
October 7, 2018
Very well written
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and was fascinated throughout. My reason for only giving a 3 star rating is i have a morbid fascination with details and as pointed out at the end of the book, that was the point of it. Not to delve too deep.
I myself have epilepsy and to read so many suffered with this in the book i could slightly connect(very slightly, I'm not going to kill anyone!).
It is an eye opening book and gives a good perspective of a part of history that is fiercely protected.
It would do good many modern day people to read this book to show how privileged modern day life is.
Very well written!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and was fascinated throughout. My reason for only giving a 3 star rating is i have a morbid fascination with details and as pointed out at the end of the book, that was the point of it. Not to delve too deep.
I myself have epilepsy and to read so many suffered with this in the book i could slightly connect(very slightly, I'm not going to kill anyone!).
It is an eye opening book and gives a good perspective of a part of history that is fiercely protected.
It would do good many modern day people to read this book to show how privileged modern day life is.
Very well written!
April 17, 2020
Interesting
I liked this book for its detached style of writing. It was factual without sensationalistic descriptions of murders or attacks.
It gives sleep into what broadside was like at the time and I would like to read more of the diaries quoted.
I liked this book for its detached style of writing. It was factual without sensationalistic descriptions of murders or attacks.
It gives sleep into what broadside was like at the time and I would like to read more of the diaries quoted.
July 17, 2018
Fascinating insight into the Broadmoor of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, built around recently rediscovered contemporary diaries and documents.
December 2, 2019
Very Good
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is very thought provoking, as the author says, "There but for the grace of God".
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is very thought provoking, as the author says, "There but for the grace of God".
February 5, 2021
Although there is some sameness to the cases in the book it is an invaluable historical record.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews