| Administrative History | The Buxton Bath Charity was revived or formally reconstituted in 1779. In 1858, the Duke of Devonshire handed over to the trustees of the charity part of the Great Stables which were adapted and opened in 1859 as the Devonshire Hospital and Buxton Bath Charity, where the charity lodged poor people whilst undergoing treatment.
The inner area of the building was opened up and the whole including the former exercising yard for the horses covered with a dome. The work was completed in 1881. Meanwhile, the building and grounds had been legally conveyed to the charity by the Duke of Devonshire in 1868 for a nominal rent. The Hospital established research laboratories in 1912 with the appointment of a bacteriologist, later in 1923 appointing a research chemist (or biochemist). Research was into arthritis and rheumatism.
The Hospital continued to expand, adding or converting further buildings and purchasing the Buxton Clinic in 1948. In 1934 it was granted permission to be known as the Devonshire Royal Hospital and in 1948 became part of the National Health Service. The Hospital was closed in 2000. |
| Custodial History | The item was donated to Derbyshire Record Office in October 1985. |