The Dorset History Centre has received a grant of over £56,000 from the Wellcome Trust – the UK’s leading medical research charity.
The funding will support a year-long project to fully catalogue the Herrison Hospital (the county asylum) archive.
The archive dates from 1832 and is of great interest to researchers and family historians alike. It will be made available to the general public through the Dorset History Centre website. In addition, the funding will allow a significant amount of conservation work to take place – cleaning, repairing and packaging the archive to assist in its long-term preservation.
Cllr Andrew Parry, Cabinet member for Education, Learning and Skills said:
“We are so grateful to the Wellcome Trust for their support. Securing this vital funding will enable the completion of work to catalogue the fascinating history of Herrison and create accessibility for anyone researching important aspects of hospitals work over a 160 year period”
The archive consists of 300 boxes of material, including thousands of often poignant individual patient records, as well as a wide range of other material – from the hospital’s farm to building plans, and even social activities such as the rounders society.
At its peak, Herrison Hospital was home to nearly 1000 patients and only closed its doors in 1992. The archive is a fascinating and important resource for medical and social history and Dorset History Centre has been working closely with academics from Bournemouth University and the University of Exeter who intend to use the collection for their research as the project unfolds.
Can you help?
It is thought that some of Herrison’s archives were retained by hospital staff when the institution closed its doors. These records could add a further fascinating dimension to the history of the hospital.
Only very recently, Dorset History Centre received some records that had been rescued by a former employee, whose son brought them in to join the rest of the archive.
If you know of any records such as these, Dorset History Centre would like to hear from you. To get in touch: email archives@dorsetcc.gov.uk or call 01305-250550 and ask to speak to an archivist.
