Deaf lives

This document records ‘Benjamin Ferrers, gent deaf and dumb of St Andrew Holborn, London’ taking a case to the Court of Chancery.

Records like this one, from the early eighteenth century, show deaf people (and people with other disabilities) being included as part of legal proceedings as plaintiffs and defendants.

Their disabilities did not limit their access to justice in these courts, nor did it exclude them from being prosecuted. In these cases, someone appeared on the person's behalf to raise their grievance or give their answer to a bill of complaint.

This beautifully-detailed drawing depicts an ear trumpet, a device to assist hearing. It is part of a registered design, a form of copyright protection preventing others from copying the appearance of a product.

The principle of an ear trumpet was established in the description accompanying the drawing: noises would be amplified for the wearer by them 'inserting [a tube linked to a funnel] in that ear which is the least susceptible of sound'.

This design was intended to conceal an ear trumpet in a floral headband. The designer, William Blackmore Pine of London, thought that, 'by forming the trumpet so as to present the appearance of a flower it will be less unsightly than the trumpet ordinarily used by deaf persons'.

‘The Deaf and Dumb Times’ was a monthly publication from the late 1800s that described itself as ‘Being an organ intended for the Welfare of the Deaf and Dumb’.

It was founded and edited by Charles Gorham, who was himself deaf, and its proprietor Joseph Hepworth lost his hearing at the age of eight. Both were crucial in facilitating this space for deaf people to discuss issues important to them, encouraging debate among people with an interest in deafness.

Their columns presented arguments in support of the ‘finger alphabet’ or sign language and the combined method of signing and lip-reading. This opposed the government position of the time, which encouraged lip-reading above all.

This opinion piece, discussing speech education, was sent in to the Board of Education in 1891. It is a brilliant example of deaf people in the past using their agency to inform medical and political thought.

Annie Haslam was born in 1880 in Bradshaw, Lancashire. She attended the Manchester Schools for the Deaf and Dumb in Stretford with two of her brothers, Samuel and Robert.

On 21 May 1894, at the age of 14, Annie presented a bouquet to Queen Victoria when she visited the schools. This photograph was taken by local photographer Arthur Reston, who registered it for copyright the following month.

Annie's brother Samuel played for the Bolton Deaf Football Club in 1905, along with fellow pupil Ernest Yarnall. Annie and Ernest went on to marry in 1909. In the 1911 census she can be found living with her husband's family in Bolton, with their baby son Eric.

At the time of the 1921 census, 16-year-old Ivy Ainsworth was living with her parents and younger brother in Clitheroe. Ivy’s parents usually worked in the local cotton mill (although were marked as ‘out of work’ at this time). On the census schedule Ivy’s occupation is recorded as ‘none – Deaf & Dumb’, the terminology used at the time.

The 1921 census did not include an ‘infirmity column’, unlike previous iterations of the census in England and Wales between 1851 and 1911. The contemporary authorities were not convinced of the value of this data, because of difficulties defining it, participants unwilling to consistently provide it, and the misleading statistics this led to.

It is clear that although the authorities did not require this information, it was sometimes recorded regardless. This is far from the only example of someone recording deafness or disability in the 1921 census.

These documents record how a government-sponsored film about the British Theatre of the Deaf, a newly-formed performance group, was made.

The film features 1970s TV presenter Pat Keysell, famous for her work with Tony Hart on the innovative Vision On. Pat was a qualified mime teacher who established deaf theatre as an art form.

You can view the 13-minute film for free on the British Film Institute website.