Richard Paternoster
Encyclopedia
Richard Paternoster was an English civil servant in the East India Company
, barrister and founder of the Alleged Lunatics' Friend Society
, an organisation that exposed abuses in lunatic asylums and campaigned for the reform of the lunacy laws.
, the son of surgeon John Paternoster and Elizabeth Twining
. He followed his older brother John to Haileybury College
, where he was a brilliant student and won prizes for Sanskrit
and Deva Nagri writing. He started his career in the Madras
civil service as a writer (a junior clerk) and in 1824 was promoted to an assistant to the magistrate at Bellary
. In 1827 he returned to England due to ill-health and was awarded a pension of £150 a year from the East India Company. After spending some time in Paris he settled in London, lodging with widowed basketmaker Catherine Scott and her children in Haymarket. Paternoster was interested in politics and in 1835 produced a handbill calling for parliamentary and various other reforms.
. Paternoster immediately smuggled out a letter to Catherine Scott, who mobilised his friends to try and secure his release. The Metropolitan Commissioners in Lunacy were called in and by a vote of 6 to 4 pronounced him sane. The commissioners had, by law, to see a patient on 3 occasions at least 21 days apart before they could make a decision, so Paternoster spent 41 days in captivity.
, appealing for others who shared his concerns about the lunacy laws to join him. Respondents included two people who were to play a leading role in the Alleged Lunatics' Friend Society
(as the group was known when it became a formal organisation in 1845):
Former patients John Parkin, a surgeon, and William Bailey, an inventor, also responded to Paternoster's advertisement.
and resulted in an agreement between the parties. Finch would pay the court costs and provide Paternoster with a life annuity of £150 a year. Paternoster then ran up huge legal bills in pursuit of his annuity.
. Two and a half years later, disappointed at the lack of action of the statue committee, he wrote an angry letter, signed Byronicus, to The Times, accusing Byron's friends of having neglected him in both life and death. Byron scholar Doris Langley Moore
used this as the basis of a theory that Paternoster could be the author of the anonymous poem Don Leon, although she admits that the "chain of evidence lacks even one link".
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, barrister and founder of the Alleged Lunatics' Friend Society
Alleged Lunatics' Friend Society
The Alleged Lunatics' Friend Society was a pressure group started by ex-patients in 19th century Britain that campaigned for the human rights of people alleged to have mental disorders...
, an organisation that exposed abuses in lunatic asylums and campaigned for the reform of the lunacy laws.
Early life and career
Paternoster was born in 1802 in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the son of surgeon John Paternoster and Elizabeth Twining
Twinings
Twinings is a marketer of tea based in Andover, Hampshire, England.- History :The founder of Twinings, Thomas Twining, opened the first known tea room, at 216 Strand, London, in 1706, which is still operating today. The firm's logo, created in 1787, is one of the world's oldest in continuous use...
. He followed his older brother John to Haileybury College
East India Company College
The East India College was a college in Hertford Heath, Hertfordshire, England. It was founded in February 1806 as the training establishment for the British East India Company . At that time, the BEIC provided general and vocational education for young gentlemen of sixteen to eighteen years old,...
, where he was a brilliant student and won prizes for Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
and Deva Nagri writing. He started his career in the Madras
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
civil service as a writer (a junior clerk) and in 1824 was promoted to an assistant to the magistrate at Bellary
Bellary
Bellary is a historic city in Bellary District in Karnataka state, India.-Origins of the city's name:There are several legends about how Bellary got its name....
. In 1827 he returned to England due to ill-health and was awarded a pension of £150 a year from the East India Company. After spending some time in Paris he settled in London, lodging with widowed basketmaker Catherine Scott and her children in Haymarket. Paternoster was interested in politics and in 1835 produced a handbill calling for parliamentary and various other reforms.
Incarceration
In 1838 Paternoster quarrelled over money with his father and his brother-in-law, solicitor Thomas Wing. These two then arranged to have Paternoster certified as insane and incarcerated in William Finch's private madhouse in Kensington High StreetKensington High Street
Kensington High Street is the main shopping street in Kensington, west London. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
. Paternoster immediately smuggled out a letter to Catherine Scott, who mobilised his friends to try and secure his release. The Metropolitan Commissioners in Lunacy were called in and by a vote of 6 to 4 pronounced him sane. The commissioners had, by law, to see a patient on 3 occasions at least 21 days apart before they could make a decision, so Paternoster spent 41 days in captivity.
Alleged Lunatics' Friend Society
On his release Paternoster inserted an advertisement in The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, appealing for others who shared his concerns about the lunacy laws to join him. Respondents included two people who were to play a leading role in the Alleged Lunatics' Friend Society
Alleged Lunatics' Friend Society
The Alleged Lunatics' Friend Society was a pressure group started by ex-patients in 19th century Britain that campaigned for the human rights of people alleged to have mental disorders...
(as the group was known when it became a formal organisation in 1845):
- John Thomas PercevalJohn Thomas PercevalJohn Thomas Perceval was a British army officer who was confined in lunatic asylums for three years and spent the rest of his life campaigning for reform of the lunacy laws and for better treatment of asylum inmates. He was one of the founders of the Alleged Lunatics' Friend Society and acted as...
, son of the assassinated prime-minister Spencer PercevalSpencer PercevalSpencer Perceval, KC was a British statesman and First Lord of the Treasury, making him de facto Prime Minister. He is the only British Prime Minister to have been assassinated...
and formerly a captain in the First or Grenadier Regiment of Foot GuardsGrenadier GuardsThe Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
, had spent two and a half years in Brislington and Ticehurst asylums and had written a book about his experience: A narrative of the treatment experienced by a gentleman during a state of mental derangement. He was to become the honorary secretary of the Alleged Lunatics' Friend Society. - Richard Saumarez, captain (and later admiralAdmiralAdmiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
) in the Royal NavyRoyal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and nephew of Admiral Lord de SamaurezJames Saumarez, 1st Baron de SaumarezAdmiral James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez , GCB was an admiral of the British Royal Navy, notable for his victory at the Battle of Algeciras.-Early life:...
, had two brothers, surgeon Frederick and rector Paul, who were ChanceryCourt of ChanceryThe Court of Chancery was a court of equity in England and Wales that followed a set of loose rules to avoid the slow pace of change and possible harshness of the common law. The Chancery had jurisdiction over all matters of equity, including trusts, land law, the administration of the estates of...
lunatics. His concern was with the length and cost of Chancery proceedings, as well as the treatment his brothers had received in private asylums.
Former patients John Parkin, a surgeon, and William Bailey, an inventor, also responded to Paternoster's advertisement.
Paternoster v Finch
Paternoster took legal action against William Finch, the proprietor of Kensington House asylum, and several other people, including his father and his brother-in-law, who had been involved in his detention. The case was heard in the Court of Common PleasCourt of Common Pleas (England)
The Court of Common Pleas, or Common Bench, was a common law court in the English legal system that covered "common pleas"; actions between subject and subject, which did not concern the king. Created in the late 12th to early 13th century after splitting from the Exchequer of Pleas, the Common...
and resulted in an agreement between the parties. Finch would pay the court costs and provide Paternoster with a life annuity of £150 a year. Paternoster then ran up huge legal bills in pursuit of his annuity.
The Madhouse System
While he was in Kensington House, Paternoster kept notes of his treatment. Once released he researched parliamentary reports, visited asylums and contacted other patients and wrote a series of articles for the London magazine The Satirist. In 1841 he published these in the form of a book, The Madhouse System.Don Leon
While Paternoster was in India, in 1825, he made a generous donation towards a statue of Lord ByronGeorge Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, later George Gordon Noel, 6th Baron Byron, FRS , commonly known simply as Lord Byron, was a British poet and a leading figure in the Romantic movement...
. Two and a half years later, disappointed at the lack of action of the statue committee, he wrote an angry letter, signed Byronicus, to The Times, accusing Byron's friends of having neglected him in both life and death. Byron scholar Doris Langley Moore
Doris Langley Moore
Doris Langley Moore OBE also known as Doris Langley-Levy Moore, was one of the first important female fashion historians. She founded the Fashion Museum, Bath in 1963. She was also a well-respected Lord Byron scholar, and author of a 1940s ballet, The Quest...
used this as the basis of a theory that Paternoster could be the author of the anonymous poem Don Leon, although she admits that the "chain of evidence lacks even one link".