Introduction and the Roots of Caterham

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the premise and aims of Idiocy, Imbecility and Insanity, which seeks to chart the history of Caterham Imbecile Asylum and the lives and experiences of people identified as idiots, imbeciles and incurably insane in the Victorian era. Attention is paid to the legislative landscape of the nineteenth century and gaps in these policies that led to the building of Caterham, the first state imbecile asylum built in England. It explores the role that this long-stay institution would play in the mixed economy of welfare. It challenges the negative narratives that have emerged in the established literature, as well as providing a survey of relevant scholarship. The chapter provides brief summaries of the methodologies, sources and contents of the book, as well as an overview of its contents.