Mental Institution records

[Penabby]

Hi all, I'm quite new looking into my family history and want to start with my estranged Grandfather who had Schizophrenia and was admitted to either Severals or Claybury mental hospital in Essex. My Dad was around 5 or 6 when he left and don't really know when he was admitted, but my Dad was born in 1942 so he possibly could have been there from the late 40s, I know he died around 1980. He physically abused my Father and Grandmother so was not really talked about when I was growing up, so that's all I know.
I know that I could possibly get access to his hospital records as I am a direct descendant, but really have no idea where to start, any help would be greatly appreciated.

[christanel]

Welcome to the Brit-Gen forums
Hereis an earlier BG thread about Claybury hospital https://www.british-genealogy.com/th...sylum-Burials?

From doing a little searching another place that may be able to help with finding where records are kept is the Redbridge Record Office or Redbridge library
http://discovery.nationalarchives.go...ails/a?_ref=90

Also The National Archives has this but I can't see where it mentions later records https://www.british-genealogy.com/th...sylum-Burials?


Christina

[Penabby]

Hi Christina, thank you for the information

[Peter Goodey]

The place to find the whereabouts of hospital records is the Hospital Record Database
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/hospitalrecords/

There appear to be no surviving records relating to patients of Claybury Hospital for the 1940s and later.

Details for Severalls (note the spelling) are a bit vague but don't look very hopeful. You may want to seek clarification from Essex Record Office.

These are records that were deposited as being of historical interest. Current NHS records are not kept for very long at all.