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