William Tuke

William Tuke (24 March 1732 – 6 December 1822) was an English businessman, philanthropist and Quaker. He was instrumental in the development of more humane methods in the custody and care of people with mental disorders, an approach that came to be known as moral treatment.

William Tuke was born on 24 March 1732 in York into a prominent Quaker family. His father, Samuel, was a stuff-weaver and shopkeeper who passed away when Tuke was 16. His mother, Ann, died seven years later. Tuke attended boarding school for two to three years after which he pursued further studies under clergymen. At age 14, he began an apprenticeship at his aunt’s wholesale tea business, which he inherited upon her death in 1752. Tuke married Elizabeth Hoyland in 1754 and fathered four children. After Elizabeth died giving birth of their fifth child, Tuke met and married Esther Maud in 1765. Tuke and his wife were deeply involved in the Friends community and advocated for stricter adherence to Quaker principles. For five decades, he travelled to London for Yearly Meeting and served as clerk at the 1783 meeting. During this time, Tuke remained involved in the family business alongside his eldest son and business partner, Henry.

In 1791, William Tuke was moved by an incident involving Hannah Mills, a melancholic Quaker widow who died unexpectedly at York Lunatic Asylum. Although the cause of her death was not determined, mistreatment was suspected, and the managers had forbade Mills from having any visitors. Tuke’s daughter, Ann, proposed the idea of an mental institution run by Quakers for their own members. At a Society of Friends meeting in March 1782, Tuke presented his plan for those who “laboured under that most afflictive dispensation – the loss of reason.” However, the proposal was met with significant opposition. Some members felt that the creation of such an institution was unnecessary, while others saw it as overstepping the jurisdiction of the Quaker community. A small minority of supporters included Tuke’s son, Henry, and grammarian Lindley Murray.

During a visit to St. Luke’s Hospital in London, Tuke witnessed the appalling conditions in which patients were kept. He was particularly affected by a naked, female patient who had been chained to a wall. Tuke believed that the abuse was not the result of cruel intent but rather a lack of effective alternatives.

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