Records of the London Lock Hospital and Rescue Home
TitleRecords of the London Lock Hospital and Rescue Home
ReferenceMS0022
Level of descriptionfonds
Date1746-1948
Admin./ biographical historyThe London Lock Hospital was founded in 1746, by William Bromfeild, it was the first voluntary hospital for venereal diseases. It was taken over by the National Health Service in 1948 and closed in 1953.
The original building for the hospital was at Grosvenor Place, near Hyde Park, (1746 - 1841). In 1842 it moved to Harrow Road, Westbourne Grove. A new building was opened in 1862 at Dean Street and Harrow Road became "The Female Hospital." Dean Street was for male outpatients. A new wing was opened at Dean Street in 1867 to make room for all the referrals from the War Office who had no facilities to fulfil their obligations under the Contagious Diseases Act 1864, the number of patients significantly declined after the act was repealed in 1886.
The Female Hospital added a maternity unit in 1917 and at the request of the London County Council a special unit for mentally defective women with venereal disease was opened shortly after. An eye clinic, an electro-therapeutic department and an genito-urinary unit opened in the 1920's. The latter treated a wide range of gynaecological conditions which were not obviously venereal in origin. During the Second World War The Female Hospital was requisitioned by the War Office for use as a Military Isolation Hospital. Clinics continued during the war at Dean Street for both male and female patients.
In 1758 Revd. Martin Madan became the Honorary Chaplain and built a chapel, seating 800, which opened in 1765. The rent of pews provided income for the hospital. Madan, a follower of John Wesley, introduced singing of hymns by the whole congregation and published a book of hymns with music as used in the chapel. Madan was forced to resign in 1780 after publishing "Thelyphthora or Female Ruin" which advocated the solution to prostitution in polygamy. From 1889 the management of the chapel moved to the congregants and it was renamed "Christ's Church".
The Lock Asylum for the Reception of Penitent Female Patients (also known as the Lock Rescue Home) was proposed in 1787 and opened in 1792 with the aim of providing a refuge/reformatory for women with venereal diseases who had been treated at the Lock Hospital, but had no steady life to which to return. The girls were taught needlework and other skills which it was hoped would fit them for service. It originally occupied buildings at Osnaburg Row but moved to a building opposite the Cannon Bewery in Knightsbridge in 1812 and to Lower Eaton Street in 1816. However, Lower Eaton Street was felt to be too far from the chapel at Grosvenor Square. The Asylum moved to the new building in Harrow Road in 1849 and changed its name to "Rescue Home" in 1893. The full name of the London Lock now being the London Lock Hospital and Rescue Home.
The original building for the hospital was at Grosvenor Place, near Hyde Park, (1746 - 1841). In 1842 it moved to Harrow Road, Westbourne Grove. A new building was opened in 1862 at Dean Street and Harrow Road became "The Female Hospital." Dean Street was for male outpatients. A new wing was opened at Dean Street in 1867 to make room for all the referrals from the War Office who had no facilities to fulfil their obligations under the Contagious Diseases Act 1864, the number of patients significantly declined after the act was repealed in 1886.
The Female Hospital added a maternity unit in 1917 and at the request of the London County Council a special unit for mentally defective women with venereal disease was opened shortly after. An eye clinic, an electro-therapeutic department and an genito-urinary unit opened in the 1920's. The latter treated a wide range of gynaecological conditions which were not obviously venereal in origin. During the Second World War The Female Hospital was requisitioned by the War Office for use as a Military Isolation Hospital. Clinics continued during the war at Dean Street for both male and female patients.
In 1758 Revd. Martin Madan became the Honorary Chaplain and built a chapel, seating 800, which opened in 1765. The rent of pews provided income for the hospital. Madan, a follower of John Wesley, introduced singing of hymns by the whole congregation and published a book of hymns with music as used in the chapel. Madan was forced to resign in 1780 after publishing "Thelyphthora or Female Ruin" which advocated the solution to prostitution in polygamy. From 1889 the management of the chapel moved to the congregants and it was renamed "Christ's Church".
The Lock Asylum for the Reception of Penitent Female Patients (also known as the Lock Rescue Home) was proposed in 1787 and opened in 1792 with the aim of providing a refuge/reformatory for women with venereal diseases who had been treated at the Lock Hospital, but had no steady life to which to return. The girls were taught needlework and other skills which it was hoped would fit them for service. It originally occupied buildings at Osnaburg Row but moved to a building opposite the Cannon Bewery in Knightsbridge in 1812 and to Lower Eaton Street in 1816. However, Lower Eaton Street was felt to be too far from the chapel at Grosvenor Square. The Asylum moved to the new building in Harrow Road in 1849 and changed its name to "Rescue Home" in 1893. The full name of the London Lock now being the London Lock Hospital and Rescue Home.
Scope and ContentThe records of the London Lock Hospital, 1746-1948, include:
Board/Committee Minutes (neat and rough), General, Special and Annual Court Minutes, and Asylum Court Minutes;
Minutes of other Committees such as the Asylum Committee, Lock Chapel Building Committee, Chapel Committee and Hospital Committee; Financial records; Printed Reports, including general reports and annual Reports; Bye- laws of the Hospital and Asylum; Patient Information such as drug registers, case notes, clinical notes and drawings; Statistics; Visitors Book; records of Dinners held; publications about the Hospital; and a cuttings album.
The records from 1753 onwards minute the proceedings of the Quarterly, Annual or Special General Court meetings. They are very formal and give little detail about individuals, lack of information can also be due to the fact that many meetings were cancelled due to lack of a quorum. The Committee Books record the meetings of the Weekly Board which admitted and discharged the patients and dealt with immediate business. Most but not all of the books have numbered pages, but reference may also be made by date. There are also some notes prepared from documents no longer in the collection which refer to the first years. [Taken from pgs 141-142 of "The London Lock" by David Innes Williams].
There are no patient admission or disharge registers in this collection. The names of patients admitted and dicharged are listed in the Weekly Board minutes from 1755- 1852 only (MS0022/1/1 to MS/1/1/24). There are also a small number of patient records in section MS0022/6.
Some drawings in series MS0022/6 contain patient identifiable data for individuals less than 100 years old and are currently unavailable for public access.
Board/Committee Minutes (neat and rough), General, Special and Annual Court Minutes, and Asylum Court Minutes;
Minutes of other Committees such as the Asylum Committee, Lock Chapel Building Committee, Chapel Committee and Hospital Committee; Financial records; Printed Reports, including general reports and annual Reports; Bye- laws of the Hospital and Asylum; Patient Information such as drug registers, case notes, clinical notes and drawings; Statistics; Visitors Book; records of Dinners held; publications about the Hospital; and a cuttings album.
The records from 1753 onwards minute the proceedings of the Quarterly, Annual or Special General Court meetings. They are very formal and give little detail about individuals, lack of information can also be due to the fact that many meetings were cancelled due to lack of a quorum. The Committee Books record the meetings of the Weekly Board which admitted and discharged the patients and dealt with immediate business. Most but not all of the books have numbered pages, but reference may also be made by date. There are also some notes prepared from documents no longer in the collection which refer to the first years. [Taken from pgs 141-142 of "The London Lock" by David Innes Williams].
There are no patient admission or disharge registers in this collection. The names of patients admitted and dicharged are listed in the Weekly Board minutes from 1755- 1852 only (MS0022/1/1 to MS/1/1/24). There are also a small number of patient records in section MS0022/6.
Some drawings in series MS0022/6 contain patient identifiable data for individuals less than 100 years old and are currently unavailable for public access.
Extent84 boxes
LanguageEnglish
System of arrangementAs described in the Scope and Content.
Conditions governing accessThis collection is available to everyone for research. It can be consulted in our Research Room at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 38-43 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PE. It is essential to book in advance so we can ensure material is available. Please email archives@rcseng.ac.uk to book a Research Room appointment. Access to some records may be restricted due to Data Protection legislation. We will advise where this is the case.
Conditions governing reproductionCopies of material in the archives can be supplied for private study purposes only, depending on the condition of the documents. Some items within this collection may remain within copyright under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988; it is the responsibility of users to obtain the copyright holder's permission for reproduction of copyright material for purposes other than research or private study. Permission to publish material must be sought in advance from the Royal College of Surgeons of England and, where appropriate, the copyright holder. Please email archives@rcseng.ac.uk in the first instance.
Related objectsMS0494
NotesPublic Records
Persons keyword William Blair, 1766-1822, surgeon, James Bromfeild, fl 1779, apothecary, William Bromfeild, 1712-1792, surgeon, Richard Conyers, fl 1749-1959, physician, Charles Cotes, fl 1723-d 1748, physician, J Earnest Lane, 1857-1926, surgeon, Samuel Lane, 1802-1892, surgeon, Martin Madan, 1726-1790, author, divine, James Eustace Radcliffe McDonagh, 1881-1965, surgeon, , Esther Rickards, fl 1925, surgeon, Gladys Sands, fl 1933, gynaecologist, Peter Shaw, 1694-1763, physician, surgeon, Noah Thomas, d 1792, physician, Thomas Williams, fl 1779-1783, surgeon, 1893-1948 London Lock Hospital and Rescue Home
SubjectPatients, Venereal diseases, Social welfare
