Global recognition for Crichton archive

THE Crichton Royal Institution (CRI) Archive has been inscribed onto the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in recognition of its international significance.

It is classed as a record of pioneering mental health care, creativity and patient voice in 19th century Dumfries.

And it will now take its place among the UK’s most significant documentary collections and alongside items including the Magna Carta, the papers of Winston Churchill and the Declaration of Arbroath.

The archive submission focussed on three record sets that give unique insights into the experiences of patients and staff in the Victorian asylum.

They contain fascinating details of the treatment and care of people often left out of the official records, particularly those experiencing mental illness.

The New Moon Magazine (1844 onwards) is one of the first and the longest-running asylum magazines in the world written and printed by patients, created to give a platform for “free and undisguised feelings and views”.

Dr Easterbrook’s Scrapbook documents the CRI’s early years with over 600 items, including creative works by patients, programmes of events, and records of the first play ever performed in an asylum.

And, Early Patient Artwork (1843–1867), presents creative responses to mental illness and care, highlighting the role of art in recovery.

Together, these materials illustrate CRI’s groundbreaking regime of creative therapy – using literature, art, music and drama – that was ahead of its time.

Jennifer Challinor, of The Crichton Trust, said: “It is an honour to have our name added to other important archives on the register and to further raise the profile of the incredible history and role the Crichton Royal Hospital has played in leading and shaping the care of people with mental illness across Scotland and the world.”

Rachel Hosker, chair of the UK Memory of the World Committee, added: “The committee felt there was strong evidence for the significance of the documentation of globally pioneering psychological and mental health care. This was further recommended by its representation of various people within a demographic of the UK who are not always represented in the record, patients, which included women and those who were not wealthy.”