Records detail thousands of people placed in Surrey mental health institutions over a 33-year period
Children as young as four and adults up to age 93 are listed in the collection
Collection is key for people looking to find out more about the circumstances surrounding ancestors with mental health diagnoses
Over 11,000 historic Surrey Mental Hospital records have been published online for the first time, revealing details on patients as young as four. Digitised by Ancestry, in partnership with the Surrey History Centre, the Surrey, England, Mental Hospital Admissions, 1867-1900 collection includes the records of thousands of men, women and children committed to local institutions over a period of 33 years. Analysis of the records reveals a large number of elderly patients, with a 93-year-old appearing in the collection. Even more shockingly, a large percentage of patients were aged ten or younger, including:
Maxwell Henry Elbourn – Four-year-old Maxwell, living at Sydenham Road in Guildford, was detained in Brookwood Hospital in 1891 after being classified an ‘idiot’ by medical staff.
Mary Jane Seymour – South London-based Mary was also sent to Brookwood Hospital in 1875 at the tender age of five. Her diagnosis was simply ‘being an imbecile’.
Annie Smith – Born in Wisley, Surrey, eight-year-old Annie was also admitted to Brookwood after being diagnosed with ‘mania’ in 1872.
Each record contains the patient’s name, gender, marriage status, occupation, residence, religion, and their reason for admission. Some diagnoses such as dementia and melancholia (deep depression) remain recognisable today; however others such as ‘hysteria’ and ‘weak-mindedness’ show a clear lack of medical understanding at the time.
By the end of the 19th Century, there were more than 300 mental institutions in the UK and Surrey was home to several. This collection includes records pertaining to Brookwood Hospital in Woking, and Holloway Sanatorium in Egham. Brookwood was the County Asylum chiefly serving West Surrey whereas Holloway was a private hospital which took patients from across the country. Beyond offering historic insights into the inner workings of the UK’s mental health system, these records are important from a family history perspective. They will allow people to trace and confirm important genealogical information such as family relationships and also provide background to an ancestor’s life and the circumstances surrounding their reason for admittance. Further, the collection can also indicate the nature of a patient’s condition and how it was treated. Fortunately, attitudes towards mental health have changed significantly over the past century.
Initial efforts were made to ensure the proper treatment of patients suffering from mental illnesses via the Lunacy Acts of 1845 and 1890. The Idiots Act of 1886 and Mental Deficiency Act of 1913 improved provision for the identification and care of those suffering from learning disabilities. Despite this, people continued to hold a negative view of these marginalised groups and individuals diagnosed with mental health issues were often detained for lengthy periods. For example, Horwood-born Julianna Brummel spent 19 years at Holloway Sanatorium as a result of alcohol-induced dementia. It was not until the passing of the Mental Health Act of 1959, that efforts were made to reintroduce and actively treat people with mental health issues within their communities. This act was focused on removing the stigma attached to mental illness via a large government re-education programme.
Michael Page, Country Archivist from Surrey County Council says: “These records provide a detailed and poignant insight into how Surrey sought to provide proper care for those of its inhabitants suffering from mental illness and learning disabilities at a time when proper remedies and therapies were in their infancy.”