/ · 1894 Brewer’s · B · Bedlam
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A lunatic asylum or madhouse; a contraction for Bethlehem, the name of a religious house in London, converted into a hospital for lunatics.
Tom oʹ Bedlam. (See Tom.)
⁂ St. Mary of Bethlehem, London, was founded as a priory in 1247, and in 1547 it was given to the mayor and corporation of London, and incorporated as a royal foundation for lunatics.
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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.
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