Abstract
This article addresses asylum patients 'expressions of Christian religious identity in New Zealand's only private asylum, Ashburn Hall, Dunedin, New Zealand, between 1882 and 1910. Religion remains an area that has been under-examined by historians of the asylum. A significant minority of patients admitted to Ashburn Hall turned to religion to interpret their surroundings, express their feelings, or assert their identity within the space of the asylum. For those allowed out of the asylum to attend their own denominational services, religion also opened up a community other than the forced community of the asylum. The recurrence of religious language, delusions, and observance in patient case notes suggests the importance of Christianity in patients' lives and their experiences of the asylum.
Published Version
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