Surrey, England, Admissions to Brookwood and Holloway Mental Hospitals, 1867-1900

This collection contains admissions and general registers for patients in mental health hospitals in Surrey, England, for the years 1867–1900.

The Exploring Surrey’s Past website gives some insight into the potential value of these records:

Surrey was home to more mental hospitals and hospitals for those with learning disabilities, than, perhaps, any other county in Britain. The records of these hospitals have survived in great abundance and most are now in the care of Surrey History Centre. They are an indispensable source for family historians, particularly the admission and discharge registers and case books. They can indicate the nature of a patient’s illness and how that illness was treated, they can confirm important genealogical information such as family relationships and dates of birth, admission and discharge or death, and, perhaps most importantly of all, provide some historical background into an ancestor’s life and the circumstances surrounding their illness.

While forms vary, you may find the following details:

• date of admission and prior admission
• name
• sex
• marriage status
• occupation
• religion
• prior residence
• details on disorder

The year 1891 is missing for Holloway Sanatorium. Privacy cutoff for these records is 1900.

Besides Brookwood Hospital, Woking, and Holloway Sanatorium, Egham, whose early admission registers can be searched here, the Centre also holds records for Springfield Hospital, Tooting; Netherne Hospital, Merstham; Royal Earlswood Hospital, Redhill; and Long Grove Hospital, St Ebba's Hospital, The Manor Hospital and West Park Hospital, all in Epsom. If you know your ancestor spent time in a Surrey asylum or wish to delve more deeply into their experience there, contact Surrey History Centre to find out how to take your research further. You can also find out more about mental Hospital Records from Surrey via Exploring Surrey's Past website. Click here