Banstead Lunatic Asylum

[cranstone]

Hello

I have no idea I'm afraid if I have the right county as Banstead Lunatic Asylum was run by Middlesex, so I apologise if I have the wrong county.

I wondered if anyone knew where they held their admissions records and death records as I am trying to find information on my 3x g.grandfather who died there in December 1885.

I would like to find out about his admission and whether he was buried in their own graveyard or anything else about his time there.

Please can anyone help?

Many thanks

[Necromancer]

Looks like the LMA (London Metropolitan Archives) is the place to go based on what I saw via Google ...

Database information that Banstead became a Surrey asylum is incorrect:

"Banstead Asylum was built and maintained by the Middlesex Justices prior to 1889. It became the responsibility of the London County Council on 1 April 1889" (London Metropolitan Archives Catalogue), which is confirmed by the following:

1900 89 year old patient's death certificate shows him as dying from "chronic brain wastage" in "the London County Asylum, Banstead".

[janan]

Hi
This site is always worth visiting for asylum info

http://www.mdx.ac.uk/WWW/STUDY/4_13_TA.htm#Banstead

Jan

[colinjohn]

Yes, records are at LMA and this is what they have:

Record type Date range
 
Administrative  1871 - 1990
General  1871 - 1970
Finance 1871 - 1964
Nursing  1973 - 1983
Admission & Discharge 1877 - 1977
Staff 1877 - 1946
Pictorial 1877 - 1890
Clinical & Patients  1877 - 1972

Other information   
Established 1877 as the Middlesex County Lunatic Asylum. At some point became known as Banstead Hospital closed 1986 and was converted into a prison

Source: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/hospitalrecords/search.asp and search for Banstead

Good luck

Colin
 

[cranstone]

Aha!

Have I found the reply button?  I have been thanking everyone personally and not this way as I didn't know about it.
So thank you to everybody that has been helping me.
And I will try to get into the habit of thanking people this way.  Thanks for letting me know Jan!
Regards
Cranstone

[janan]

 
You've done it!
Happy hunting
Jan

[janan]

Here are some pictures of the hospital

http://www.countyasylums.com/mentalasylums/banstead01.htm

Jan

[forester]

Hello again Cranstone,

The pictures Jan directed you to, the first three certainly, if you don't know, are of the remaining original buildings that are now part of Downview Prison. Hence the high green fence.

On the first one, the Porters Lodge is the two storey building. The long roof, with the windows and clock tower in it, is new and houses the visitors centre. I still remember having to squeeze up into the top of the clock tower because someone had forgotten to switch on the automatic summer time setting when it was installed.

Regards,
Phil

[cranstone]

Hi Phil

Thanks for the information. 

Would you know if their cemetery was built over?

Regards