Bethlem and Broadmoor
After his acquittal on the ground of insanity, M'Naghten was transferred from Newgate Prison to the State Criminal Lunatic Asylum at Bethlem Hospital under the 1800 Act for the Safe Custody of Insane Persons charged with Offences. His admission papers describe him in the following words: "Imagines the Tories are his enemies, shy and retiring in his manner." Apart from one hunger strike which ended with force-feeding, McNaghten's 21 years at Bethlem appear to have been uneventful. Although no regular employment was provided for the men on the criminal wing of Bethlem, they were encouraged to keep themselves occupied with painting, drawing, knitting, board games, reading, musical instruments, etc., and also did carpentry and decorating for the hospital.
In 1864 M'Naghten was transferred to the newly opened Broadmoor Asylum, where his admission papers describe him as: "A native of Glasgow, an intelligent man" and record how, when asked if he thinks he must have been out of his mind when he shot Edward Drummond, he answers: "Such was the Verdict – the opinion of the Jury after hearing the Evidence." During his later years at Bethlem he had been classified as an "imbecile". M'Naghten had developed diabetes and heart problems in Bethlem; by the time he was transferred to Broadmoor his health was declining and he died 3 May 1865.
Read more about this topic: Daniel M'Naghten