Mental Hospital, Coulsdon

[luciacw]

Hi all, I wondered if anyone could advise on how to locate and access asylum records for my great grandfather Albert. So a few questions...

- My great grandfather died in 1952 at "The Hospital, Coulsdon". I know he was in an asylum but I've noticed that there were two asylums in Coulsdon (Cane Hill and Netherne) and that the records are held by different authorities. Therefore I'm not sure which the death certificate refers to. The death was registered in the Surrey Mid Eastern district. Before Albert's admission to the asylum the family were living in the St George Hanover Square district. Which asylum is he likely to have been committed to?

- I believe Albert was admitted in the 1920s. As a result his wife and family briefly went into the workhouse. Where would I be able to access workhouse records from that era?

- How would I determine where Albert was buried?

- I understand that accessing asylum records is handled as a freedom of information request. What information is a search of asylum records likely to yield if I am able to get access to them? Has anyone here gone through the process of applying to view asylum records? How did you go about it?

[Valda]

Hi

Netherne Hospital Hooley Coulsdon Croydon was opened in 1907 and was a Surrey county asylum. Cane Hill Hospital Coulsdon Croydon was opened in 1883 as a Surrey later a London county asylum. Since the family lived in London the likelihood is that it was Cane Hill Asylum not Netherne.

When Cane Hill closed everything was left in quite a state and it appears only limited records survive - the admission and discharge registers and not patient clinical records, but it is worth checking that with Croydon Archives.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/hospitalrecords/details.asp?id=48&hospital=cane&town=&searchdatabase.x=95&searchdatabase.y=9

He should also appear on the registers of lunatics returned from Westminster poor law union held at the London Metropolitan Archives.

http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/vcdf/detail?coll_id=12897&inst_id=118&nv1=search&nv2=basic

Because it doesn't look as if you will be able to access patient clinical files it may be less difficult to access information from at least the admission register, but you may still have to prove the nearest direct descendant is requesting the information and any previous descendants are now dead. The archives concerned will advise you of any information they require.

As to his burial it depends whether his family claimed the body or not. If they did then he would be buried in the cemetery they chose to bury him in. If not then Cane Hill Hospital did have its own cemetery. The burial registers are held at Croydon Archives.

http://www.croydon.gov.uk/leisure/archives/


Regards

Valda 

[luciacw]

Thanks so much for the information. I'll contact the relevant archives and see where it gets me. 

- Lucia

[fergussonfamily]

If anyone is interested the records for Netherne Hospital, Coulsdon are held at Surrey History Centre in Woking: http://www.exploringsurreyspast.org.uk/themes/subjects/mental_hospital_records/netherne_hospital_coulsdon/
Any patient records less than 100 years old and staff records less than 75 years old are likely to have access restrictions.