On the 30^th December 1866, in The Luttrell Arms in Dunster, a meeting was held to discuss the proposed village hospital and dispensary “for the relief of the poor of the neighbourhood, in cases of accident or severe sickness”. The Rev. T. F. Luttrell was in the chair; others present included Bishop Chapman (rector of Wootton Courtenay, and a lifelong supporter of the Hospital), The reverends A. H. F. Luttrell and C. Cooke, J. Croft and W. P. Mitchell; T. Abraham and C. Roberts, esquires, and Messrs Gibbs, Chorley, Oatway, Bonnor, Withycombe etc. £101 had been donated and £81’s worth of subscriptions had been pledged. It was estimated that an income of £150 per year would be required to provide for six beds in such an establishment.

Mr Luttrell, of Dunster Castle, provided a property rent-free for the venture. Not immediately visible from the road, the hospital (now known as Grabbist House) was set in grounds previously known as Happy Valley, and is accessed via a winding uphill drive between numbers 34 and 36 West Street.

The Hospital Committee set rules as to who would be eligible for treatment. These rules remained the same throughout the hospital’s existence:

1. All labourers, farm servants and really needy persons are admissible to the benefits of the hospital on the recommendation of a subscriber subject to the approval of the committee and medical officer.
2. Every subscriber of 10 shillings is entitled to recommend one out-patient, and every subscriber of one pound, one in-patient or two out-patients.
3. Church and Institution collections have full benefit, tickets to be signed by Clergymen or Church Warden.
4. Small weekly allowance from each in-patient.

The hospital opened on the 8^th April 1867. The hospital was to continue for the next 53 years and served many neighbouring parishes such as Timberscombe, Selworthy, Minehead, Oare, Wootton Courtney, Luccombe, Carhampton & Porlock. According to a report in The Lancet a year later (in 1868), thirteen patients had been received as in-patients and fifty-seven as out-patients. There were now five beds. It was observed that “the treatment of the diseases which have presented themselves has been very successful, and this is in no doubt due to the existence of those conditions of cleanliness, ventilation, and comfort, and which are so often wanting in the houses of the poor, and which conduce so much to the recovery of the sick, and especially those on whom operations have been performed.

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Above are photos of Grabbist House when it was offered for sale in 2020. Photographs used with kind permission of Stags estate agents in Dulverton, who kindly sought permission from the then-owner for me to use these photos.

Description of the building

In 1893 a mortuary was built on top of the old coal house, which was rebuilt elsewhere. A male ward was opened in 1901 and an operating theatre in 1904. By the time the 1911 census was taken, there were 5 male patients and 9 female patients and 11 rooms (not counting the scullery, landing, lobby, closet or bathroom). The 1910 Valuation Act field book described the hospital thus: “Stone built stuccoed & slated; containing Men’s Ward, Theatre, Sitting room, dining room, kitchen, pantry, scullery, 4 bedrooms & women’s ward. Detached wash house & ironing room stone & slate. In good order.” The building was owned by the executors of the late G. F. Luttrell Esq., who had died earlier that year.

The inside may not have been as clinical or austere as we might imagine; I was surprised to learn that cottage hospitals were designed to be homely in appearance, to put patients at ease. The walls were likely to have been wallpapered, and the rooms would probably have had plants – perhaps parlour palms, aspidistras & flowers. Windows were likely to have been open as often as possible – the old theory that ventilation prevented infection remained popular even after germ theory was accepted. The hospital closed for a month (in August) for cleaning.

Staff

Hospital staff included doctors (referred to as Medical Officers), nurses, and a dispenser (chemist). Also employed were a servant, charwoman, boy, and a gardener.

Medical Officers (doctors)

Doctors (‘Medical Officers’) were local GPs, who were responsible for the hospital for a month at a time. Having a local hospital would have advanced the prestige & career of local doctors. A doctor attended the Hospital every Wednesday at 2pm, to see the out-patients. They are not listed in the salaries section of the annual report, so I’m not sure how they were funded. The first Medical Officer was Dr Thomas Clark (who founded the Minehead & West Somerset Golf Club), he was the only Medical Officer until Dr Francis Hayes joined his practice in 1881. Later Medical Officers included Dr Thomas Ollerhead, Dr Wilson, Dr Sanguinetti & Dr Bain and others.

Nurses

In 1867, Florence Nightingale described nurses as “too old, too weak, too drunken, too dirty, too stolid or too bad to do anything else” and founded a nurse training school. Qualified nurses had filtered out to cottage hospitals by the late 1800s. The hospital had one nurse, a matron. Matron Mrs Govier (who earned £20 per year in 1867) left in 1872 and was replaced by Mrs Horne, who left shortly after and was replaced by Mrs Langdon.  Sadly, Mrs Langdon died in the hospital of bronchitis, cirrhosis of the liver and haematemesis. in 1880 and was replaced by Miss Davys. Miss Davys left in 1885 and was replaced by Mrs Johnson who then died of heart disease. Miss Davys returned, but resigned in 1893.

In 1893 an unpaid nurse probationer was appointed – she paid £10 per year premium for training). Miss Thomas was appointed in 1913 but she belonged to the Territorial Force of the Army Nursing Corps and was called away to tend wounded soldiers of The Great War. Her position was held open for her and temporarily filled by an acting matron, but she reigned in 1918 and Miss Turner was appointed.

Dispenser (chemist)

The first known dispenser was Mr Attwater, whose time serving the hospital appears short-lived. In 1869 Mr Penrose was the dispenser. From 1873 the dispenser was Samuel Ell, who had a chemist shop in Dunster, and was very well respected.

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Mr Ell tended to animals as well as humans, describing himself as either a dispensing chemist or an agricultural chemist. Advertisements for his medicines can frequently be found in newspapers of the time.

However, he did not limit himself to medicines. Ell’s Celebrated Alga Sauce was “a most delicious and agreeable relish” prepared from Betty Webber’s laver” (seaweed) which was used as a condiment “for all kinds of cooked meats, gravies, hashes, soups, steaks, fish, game etc”. His marmalade was served in the House of Lords! When Mr Ell died in 1910, his wife took over as dispenser.

Patients

I have used various sources used to identify patients. My primary source was the in-patients’ register (1911-1922), but I also searched The British Newspaper Archive for mention of patients in historic newspapers. Dunster’s burial register mentions a couple of patients who had died in the hospital. I have a few death certificates which give the location of the person’s death as Dunster Hospital. The annual reports give figures for the numbers of patients treated, although no identifying details are given.

In-patients

In 1865, Joseph Lister used carbolic acid as an antiseptic to reduce post-operative infections. Antiseptic techniques allowed new operations to be performed, and I was surprised to learn of the wide range of operations that were performed at Dunster Hospital.

From 1895, medical and surgical patients were listed separately in the annual reports. Here are some examples of medical and surgical patients:

Medical: anaemia, cirrhosis of liver, pneumonia, rheumatism, hysteria, debility, bronchitis, St Vitus’ Dance.

Surgical: injuries, cancer, TB, abscesses, tonsils & adenoids, nasal polyps, ascites, pterygium. Other operations included: breast cancer (1873), disease of shoulder joint (1873), necrosis of tibia (1873), ganglion of wrist (1878), cancer of the lip (1878), polyps of the womb (1880), circumcision (1881), tonsils (1884), strangulated femoral hernia (1897), amputation of finger (1902), osteotomy for malunited fracture (1902), removal of adenoids (1902), skin grafting for burn (1902), varicose veins (1902), amputation of breast (1903), uterine polyp (1903), (in 1904 they added an operating theatre!), abdominal section (for tubercular peritonitis) (1909), colotomy (1909), amputation of leg (1910).

A transcription of the In-patients’ Register (1911-1922) is currently underway and will be available on this website at a later date. The in-patient register lists name, age, occupation, parish, subscriber recommending, date admitted, injury or disease, under whose care (which doctor), number of days in hospital, date discharged, and result [of treatment] & remarks.

Out-patients

Out-patients attended the free dispensary for treatment for ailments such as skin conditions, minor injuries, bowel problems, dental work, abscesses & ulcers, fainting fits, whitlow, amenorrhoea, menorrhagia, burns, Bright’s Disease, over lactation, climacteric disturbance, tape worm, flatulence and chapped lips!

The Midwives Act of 1902 diverted donations away from the hospital, and efforts were underway to set up a community hospital in Minehead. The 1913 National Insurance Act meant that the poor were entitled to receive free medical care from their doctor, and the out-patients service at Dunster Hospital ended.

Weekly newspaper reports

For many years (1894-1912), The West Somerset Free Press published a brief weekly report on the hospital, detailing patients admitted/discharged/remaining in hospital, number of out-patients attended, who the Medical Officer was that week, and most fascinating of all, gifts that the hospital received and the name of the donor. 

Gifts varied seasonally and examples include fruit and vegetables, cake, a tin of tongue, old linen, a piece of beef, rabbits, crutches, a bridesmaid’s bouquet, flowers and illustrated papers and magazines. For Christmas 1903, turkey was donated by 13 cottagers and 2 friends from Woodcombe as a thank-offering at not having had scarlet fever. 

Funding

Dunster hospital is a fine example of Victorian philanthropy. Funding came from a variety of sources: subscriptions, donations, congregational collections, fees charged for visiting Dunster Castle grounds, small payments from patients, bequests, collection boxes, and local events such as the 5^th November firework carnival and the Watchet Regatta.

Running the hospital

The hospital was run by a volunteer Committee. The minutes of their meetings record the appointment of staff, decisions on staff salaries, the purchase of equipment, and monitoring the accounts. There were also meetings of subscribers. The annual reports and committee meeting minutes for 1868-1919 are very informative. While they contain no identifying patient details, there are lots of anonymised medical details and anecdotes. They also contain statistical information such as numbers of patients from each parish and numbers of deaths in the hospital, which were mercifully low. Modifications to the hospital are described. Committee members, donors & subscribers are listed.

Closure of Dunster Hospital

In 1920 the hospital merged with the Luttrell Hospital in Minehead, and the building in Dunster then became the Happy Valley Hotel after 1920, and reverted to being a private residence in the mid to late 20th Century, becoming known as Grabbist House. Surviving records of the hospital can be found at Somerset Archives.

My next steps

Finish transcribing the in-patient register
Create a composite patient register by adding other sources to the in-patient register Compile a graph showing weekly/yearly numbers of in/out-patients
Examine the account books for more information
Research the staff, and add their biographies to this website.

Sources

Bristol Business Post Edition 13. Published on Oct 16, 2012
https://centreforapprenticeships.co.uk/vacancy/1577218/

Mitton, Lavinia (2002) Victorian Hospital. Shire Album Series

The Lancet, 28 March 1868
https://kundoc.com/pdf-medical-annotations-ade4bfbce56f3e46c787f972ac4ef4a668653.html
[Accessed 26 Jan 2021]

Taunton Courier & Western Advertiser, Weds 2 Jan 1867

Durnford, Richard, Bp. of Chichester (1892) Memorials of James Chapman, first Bishop of Colombo, p124
https://archive.org/stream/memorialsofjames00durn/memorialsofjames00durn_djvu.txt
[Accessed 26 Jan 2021]

National Library of Scotland map Somerset Sheet XXXV.SW. Revised: 1902, Published: 1904
maps.nls.uk/view/101461117  
[Accessed 16 March 2022]

In-patients’ Register, Dunster and Minehead Hospital. Somerset Heritage Centre. D/H/m/3/1

Annual Reports, Dunster and Minehead Hospital (printed). 1868-1894. Somerset Heritage Centre. D/H/m/1/2/1

Annual Reports, Dunster and Minehead Hospital (printed). 1895-1919. Somerset Heritage Centre. D/H/m/1/2/2

West Somerset Free Press – Saturday 04 August 1866

West Somerset Free Press – Saturday 25 October 1879

West Somerset Free Press – Saturday 25 March 1899

West Somerset Free Press – Saturday 30 January 1909

West Somerset Free Press – Saturday 25 April 1896 West Somerset Free Press – Saturday 27 July 1907