Liverpool State Hospital & Home guide

This guide provides an overview of the main series of patient records in our collection for Liverpool Asylum for the Infirm and Destitute (1862-1933) and Liverpool State Hospital and Home (1933-1961).

Administrative overview

Liverpool Asylum was originally established as a branch of the Sydney Benevolent Society in 1851. The Sydney Benevolent Asylum has an index to Sydney Benevolent Asylum admissions and discharges 1857-1900 available online.

The Colonial Government took control of the Asylum in 1862. The Asylum provided refuge for infirm and destitute men. Those able to assist in the Asylum's farm operations and workshop were paid a small daily wage.

In 1933 the name changed to Liverpool State Hospital and Home. The institution closed in 1961.

About the records

In November 2000 the City of Liverpool and District Historical Society returned to NSW State Archives a number of records from the Liverpool Asylum/State Hospital that had been in its custody since the closure of the Hospital. We acknowledge and thanks the Society for the return of these important records to official custody. These records are included in the listing below. Many of the surviving records of the Liverpool Asylum/State Hospital and Home are incomplete and provide brief details about inmates.

Records we hold

NRS-4946 Registers of admissions and discharges, 1859-1959

• Apr 1859-Jul 1863, Oct 1874-Jan 1878 - Reel 1398
• Aug 1882-Feb 1886, 1886-87, 1892-95 - Reel 1399
• 1889-1909 - Fiche 6017-20
• 1898-1901 - Reel 1400
• 1949-1951, 1954-1959 [6/4778-81]

Indexes to material on Reels 1398-1401 are available electronically in the Reading Room. See:

• Liverpool Asylum Index, 1859-83 for material on Reel 1398
• Liverpool Asylum Index, 1882-94 for material on Reel 1399
• Liverpool Asylum Index, 1882-1902 for material on Reel 1399 and 1400
• Liverpool Asylum Index, 1874-90, 1898-1902 for material on Reels 1400 and 1401

The indexes were produced by Liverpool Genealogy Society Inc.

NRS-4948 Registers of inmates, 1873-1913

• Jan 1889-Sep 1890 - Reel 1401
• Sep 1890-Nov 1893 - Reel 1402
• Nov 1893-Apr 1897 - Reel 1403
• Apr 1897-Jul 1899 - Reel 1404
• Jul 1901-May 1903 - Reel 1405
• 4 May 1903-20 Dec 1904 [6/21200]
• Dec 1904-Oct 1906 - Reel 1405
• Oct 1906-Mar 1909 - Reel 1406
• Mar 1909-Jul 1913 - Reel 1407

NRS-4947 Indexes to registers of admissions and discharges, 1874-1886

• 1874-1881 - COD 511
• 1881-1886 - COD 512

NRS-4951 Surgeon Superintendent's weekly reports, 1877-1906

• Oct 1877-Mar 1883 [7/5315] Reel 1398
• Mar 1883-Oct 1889 [7/5316-17]
• Oct 1891-Jun 1893 [7/5314], Reel 1399
• Jun 1893-Oct 1906 [7/5318-20]

NRS-4952 Medical registers, 1893-1925

• 1893-1894 [7/5353]
• 1895-1896 [7/6897.2]
• 24 Jul 1896-23 Jun 1908 - Fiche 5980-6007
• 22 Jun 1903-11 Sep 1911 - Fiche 6038-60651907 [7/6897.3]
• 1923-1925 [7/6897.4]

NRS-4950 Registers of admissions to and discharges from hospital wards (administration), 1895-1902

• 1895-98 - Reel 1399
• 1898-1902 - Reel 1400

RNCG-1672 Medical reports, 18 Aug 1900-Aug 1903

• Fiche 6008-6016

RNCG-1673 Pension cards c.1930-c.1959

• [19/8375, 19/8377.2]

RNCG-1674 Registers of Deceased Inmates, 24 Mar 1942-24 Nov 1944

• Fiche 6021-6024

NRS-4957 Death registers, 1948-1958

• [6/4791-92]

NRS-23159 Admission cards — deaths, 1884-1958

• [11/22911.2-22922.1]

NRS-23160 Admission cards — discharges, 1891-1959

[11/22871-22911.1] Digital copies of these cards are available in our catalogue.

Access to the records

All records, including inmate records, created by the Liverpool State Hospital and Home, 1890-1959, are Open to Public Access (OPA). This is an exception to the access direction that closes all patient identifying medical records for 110 years.