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Any information would be appreciated on the above ancestor who is last listed on the 1891 census. William was unkindly entered on two of the census returns as 'idiot' and 'lunatic'. I am sure he was neither as in those days even Downs Syndrome people were classed as such. He did stay in the family home longer than his siblings however, but when his mother Ellen moved to Bethesda in 1901 i think he must have perhaps gone as a boarder, or even into a place of safety. I am anxious to know what happened to him after 1901 particularly and havent had any success.

Any infirmity is not shown on the 1911 census and this may be a needle in the haystack search for such a common name ?

Just as a point of info, "idiot" and "lunatic" were not slang pejoratives, i.e. "unkind", they were classifications used on the census forms themselves, and by the medical profession. Most likely he was severely developmentally delayed from birth (as compared to a "lunatic" who had suffered a psychosis later in life, say).

My own guess would be that he died before 1901. A condition like Down would have resulted in a severely shortened lifespan in most cases in that era, even as it commonly does today.

Another point -- if he was living in 1901 and was a patient or "inmate" in an institution, he could be listed just by initials. I don't see a matching entry in the 1901 in Wales, though.