Looking After Miss Alexander: Care, Mental Capacity, and the Court of Protection in Mid-Twentieth-Century England

In 1939, Beatrice Alexander was declared legally incapable of managing her own property and affairs due to mental illness. This book explores the complexities of mental health law during the 1920s and 1960s, using Alexander's case to consider citizenship, welfare, gender, vulnerability, care, and control. It also offers reflections on historical research and writing.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 192 pages
Publication date: 15 January 2023
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press

In July 1939, at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, Beatrice Alexander, aged fifty-nine, was deemed incapable of managing her own property and affairs. Despite her claims of being perfectly well, the official solicitor assumed control of her home and finances, evicted her "friends," and hired a live-in companion to oversee her. Alexander remained legally incapable for the next thirty years.

During the mid-twentieth century, Alexander was among approximately thirty thousand individuals in England and Wales who were legally classified as "incapable" and under the jurisdiction of what is now known as the Court of Protection. Focusing on the period between the 1920s and the 1960s, Looking After Miss Alexander delves into the workings of this court, utilizing Alexander's unique case to explore the complexities of mental health law. By drawing on Court of Protection archives, some of which were made publicly available for the first time in 2019, and employing micro-historical methods, Janet Weston sheds light on the role of chance, subjectivity, and uncertainty in shaping the events of that era and the narratives we construct about them today.

An engaging and accessible history of mental capacity law, Looking After Miss Alexander examines a range of themes, including citizenship and welfare, gender and vulnerability, care and control, and the role of the state. It also offers thoughtful reflections on historical research and writing itself.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780228014683