Time register, or ‘Pegging Clock’, made in Darlington, England,
1900-1939 A system of ‘tell–tale clocks’ was installed in Sussex
Lunatic Asylum in 1890. They checked the timings of night
patrols. There were 400 patients when the Asylum opened in 1859.
Doors to the wards and corridors were locked. Attendants
patrolled the male and female sleeping areas. This clock device
was fitted to the walls in the dormitories. The attendant
operated the mechanism with a key. This made an electrical
contact with the master control in the Hall Porter’s office. The
master control was geared to a clock mechanism with a rotating
drum. Graph paper, marked to coincide with an ordinary time
clock, was placed over this drum every night. Pen and ink
tracers showed the exact time and location a key was inserted.
It showed staff were alert and where they should be. It also
showed they were safe from attack. This system is symbolic of
the rules, regulations and surveillance routines in large
Victorian asylums. It also shows how staff a