Mental health patient records

In 1811, Governor Macquarie ordered that several Parramatta Gaol inmates who were ‘labouring under the affliction of mental derangement’ be transferred to the former convict barracks at Castle Hill, establishing the first government asylum in NSW. By the end of the century, a total of 4,198 inmates were housed in government-run and -licensed institutions across NSW.

This webinar explores the surviving patient records created by government mental health facilities that are held within the State Archives Collection, such as registers, admission papers, medical case books and case papers. Learn how you can start searching and accessing these records yourself.

Watch the recording

Chapters

0:00 Start

0:11 Acknowledgement of Country

0:30 Terms used in the records

0:56 Access to patient identifying records

2:06 Historical background

10:23 Main institutions in the 19th century

17:04 Searching the State Archives catalogue

18:40 Types of records

38:26 Research strategies

43:13 Case study: Florence Nevill Kelly

48:41 Case study: Elizabeth Wilcox

55:36 Breaking news! New records now available

Note:
1. Sydney Morning Herald, 1 June 1811