A DEVIZES historian is hoping to shed light on the lives of the thousands who lived and worked at Wiltshire County Lunatic Asylum, later known as Roundway Hospital.

It opened in 1851, and closed in 1995 when it was sold and converted into 127 homes.

Many today are unaware of the sheer scale of people who were buried beneath land surrounding the former asylum. The vast majority were from England’s “hidden underclass” of destitute paupers and those diagnosed as mentally insane.

There could easily be eight or nine people buried in the same plot, many of which are lost under woodland that has increased since the hospital closed.

Geoff Mascall, whose father was hospital chaplain between 1955 and 1971, has spent years piecing together the stories of those who lived and worked at the building.

Geoff

Geoff

He has tracked down 4,100 different burials and hopes more can be done to raise awareness of the vast history the burial grounds holds.

“When my dad died in 1985, I thought it would be wrong to let the history slide away, so I started work,” he explained.

“During the pandemic I had the time to put in more work, and reach the stage we’re at now.”

The cemetery itself lies between the old cricket field and Drew’s Pond Lane, and is surrounded by woodland with the locations of graves previously lost and pathways buried.

Currently, Geoff takes people on tours through the burial grounds, often when they are looking to trace down their family history.

The cemetery had closed in 1966 when it hit capacity. Now, barely any stones remain.

Geoff thinks that the burial ground could be a huge focus for academic research, and potentially become a tourist attraction similar to the likes of the National Arboretum.

“This is a huge place in the history of Devizes,” said Geoff.

The cemetery is surrounded by woodland with the locations of graves previously lost and pathways buried

The cemetery is surrounded by woodland with the locations of graves previously lost and pathways buried

“You’re ankle deep in history here. And all the books written about this place are about the upper echelons, nobody had done serious research into the paupers.

“There are misconceptions how people were treated there. In it’s day, this asylum was a countrywide leader in surgery, and about 25 per cent of inmates recovered.

“It’s a fascinating chapter of the town’s history. Anyone from Devizes over the age of 21 has their own memories or family history from the hospital, and we need to ensure we capture that history for years to come.”