I would just add to the previous answers.  I had reason to follow up a patient at Brookwood and I was very impressed by the quick and helpful answers I was given by the staff at the Surrey History Centre.  The records are very good.  I found that the patient I was interested in had been moved from asylum to asylum, but the records were equally informative for them all, so it is worth pursuing. Tomas Christie. ________________________________ From: Ann Sargeant <ann.sargeant@ntlworld.com> To: "BERKSHIRE-L@rootsweb.com" <BERKSHIRE@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wed, 10 February, 2010 17:32:44 Subject: Re: [BRK] Brookwood From: "Paula" <p.ath@virgin.net> > Does anyone know if Brookwood asylum was also a normal  hospital ? > I have a SARAH Anne NETHERCLIFT who died there in 1871.  Her > occupation is down as a needlewoman.  Do you think this means she > was just working there as a needlewoman or she was an "inmate" ? > Are there any records of who was there? > Paula Hello Paula In the 1870s Brookwood was a hospital for the mentally ill  - although the reasons then why folk were there would not necessarily accord with the modern definition of mental illness.  Sadly many perfectly well people were put into asylums in the past.  The original concept of Brookwood was that all the patients worked in the various departments of the asylum. There's a very good outline here: http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/Brookwood+Hospital+Woking?opendocument Records are at Surrey History Centre in Woking, and there has been much past discussion on the Surrey Rootsweb List so you might also find the archives there useful. Ann Hampshire, UK ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to BERKSHIRE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Hi Tomas Thank you for your reply. I hope that, like you, I will be lucky and get some more information on Sarah Ann NETHERCLIFT Paula ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tomas Christie" <tomas_christie@yahoo.co.uk> To: <berkshire@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, February 10, 2010 6:26 PM Subject: Re: [BRK] Brookwood I would just add to the previous answers. I had reason to follow up a patient at Brookwood and I was very impressed by the quick and helpful answers I was given by the staff at the Surrey History Centre. The records are very good. I found that the patient I was interested in had been moved from asylum to asylum, but the records were equally informative for them all, so it is worth pursuing. Tomas Christie. ________________________________ From: Ann Sargeant <ann.sargeant@ntlworld.com> To: "BERKSHIRE-L@rootsweb.com" <BERKSHIRE@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wed, 10 February, 2010 17:32:44 Subject: Re: [BRK] Brookwood From: "Paula" <p.ath@virgin.net> > Does anyone know if Brookwood asylum was also a normal hospital ? > I have a SARAH Anne NETHERCLIFT who died there in 1871. Her > occupation is down as a needlewoman. Do you think this means she > was just working there as a needlewoman or she was an "inmate" ? > Are there any records of who was there? > Paula Hello Paula In the 1870s Brookwood was a hospital for the mentally ill - although the reasons then why folk were there would not necessarily accord with the modern definition of mental illness. Sadly many perfectly well people were put into asylums in the past. The original concept of Brookwood was that all the patients worked in the various departments of the asylum. There's a very good outline here: http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/Brookwood+Hospital+Woking?opendocument Records are at Surrey History Centre in Woking, and there has been much past discussion on the Surrey Rootsweb List so you might also find the archives there useful. Ann Hampshire, UK ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to BERKSHIRE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to BERKSHIRE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.733 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2679 - Release Date: 02/10/10 07:40:00