Henry Hutchinson Stewart (1798-1879): from page to philanthropist

Abstract

Henry Hutchinson Stewart [1798-1879] began life as a page to the Vice-Reine and came to the study of medicine rather belatedly. After some years in general practice he was appointed Governor to the Hospitals of the Houses of Industry in Dublin. In 1856 he was responsible for the removal of forgotten, friendless mental patients from the Houses of Industry to a disused hotel at Lucan outside the city. Later on, when a committee proposed to provide a training institution for the mentally handicapped, he handed over his premises in Lucan to them with its annual income of £1,000 in addition to a donation of £5,000. In his will he bequeathed further substantial sums (£7,000) to the Institution which still bears his name, and money was also made available to the Irish Universities to found valuable scholarships.

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