Gertrude Lettice Edwards (1911 - 1991)

Born 1911 in Paddington, London, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Died 1991 at about age 80 in Sable River, Shelburne, Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Canada

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Laurie Giffin [send private message]

Biography

Gertrude Lettice Edwards was born circa 1911 the daughter of Stanley Edwards and Gertrude Moysey of London, England^[1]

In May 1912, the family emigrated to Nova Scotia^[2], and settled in Sable River, Shelburne County^[3].

Her father, Stanley died in 1940^[4].

In 1953, she was committed to the Halifax County Hospital

An eccentric, spirited woman from Sable River on the South Shore, Edwards had been committed to the Nova Scotia Hospital in 1953 by her equally eccentric mother. After 14 months and a suicide attempt, Edwards was transferred to the HCH where she languished for the next 12 years while waging a campaign of resistance by firing off some 300 letters requesting legal help in her relentless bid for freedom. None ever left the confines of the hospital where all outgoing mail addressed to public officials was censored. At this point, Barteaux agreed to permit Edwards to take a correspondence course in Canadian business law. Only after she successfully completed her course was she able to use her new knowledge to secure the help of a lawyer and obtain her discharge in 1967.^{[5] [6]}

Her mother died in 1965.

In 1967, in a landmark court case, Lettice was released, and returned to Sable River where she lived out her days^[7]. Gertrude Lettice Edwards died in 1991^[8]

Sources

1. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1911," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XW2N-DZC : 17 May 2019), Lettice Edwards in household of Stanley Edwards, Paddington, London, England, United Kingdom; from "1911 England and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 14, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.
2. ↑ "Canada Passenger Lists, 1881-1922," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2HL7-RPK : 11 March 2018), Stanley Edwards, May 1912; citing Immigration, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, T-4744, Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.
3. ↑ The 1921 Census of Canada shows Stanley in Nova Scotia; District Name: Queens-Shelburne; District Number: 63; Sub-District Name: Sable River; Sub-District Number: 18; Sub-District Description: Little and Big, Port Le Herbert, East Sable River, Lewis Head, Little Harbour, West Middle Sable, A... show more; Family Number: 49; Page Number: 5; Line Number: 22; Reference: RG31, Statistics Canada; Item Number: 5918559
4. ↑ Nova Scotia Vital Records showing Stanley Edwards, died 1940 in Sable River, Shelburne County can be found in Registration Year: 1940 - Book: 191 - Page: 305
5. ↑ The Politics of Mental Health Care in Nova Scotia: The Case of the Halifax County Hospital, 1940-1976 by Judith Fingard and John Rutherford; Dalhousie University
6. ↑ Lettice Edwards, "I was sane but kept 14 years in a mental hospital against my will", Chatelaine, May 1970, pp. 35, 90-4, 96-7; John Barteaux, interview by authors
7. ↑ Personal knowledge of Laurie Giffin
8. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #211240263