| Description | BELPER UNION WORKHOUSE, LATER BABINGTON HOSPITAL: admission and discharge registers 1840-1970, Birth registers 1840-1972, Baptism register 1859-1933, Creed registers 1869-1951, Death registers 1840-1983, Inmate registers 1932-1945, Indoor relief lists and abstracts 1936-1950 (2 series), Childrens' Home registers 1940-1949, Mental health patient register 1934-1949, Second World War Service patient register 1939-1942, Maternity and child welfare register 1947-1948, Patient statistics (abstracts) 1958-1971, Patients' ledgers 196101963, Patients pensions book 1973-1983, House committee minutes, 1949-1973, other
BELPER COTTAGE HOMES: Register 1932-1940
HOLBROOK MATERNITY HOME: Committee minutes 1959-1972
RIPLEY HOSPITAL: House committee minutes 1966-1973 |
| Administrative History | The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 grouped parishes together into Unions for purposes of poor relief. The first meeting of the Board of Guardians for Belper Union took place in May 1837. In 1930 the functions of the Guardians were taken over by the Public Assistance Committee of the County Council; this continued until 1948 when the Poor Law was abolished by the National Assistance Act. The National Health Service, created in 1948, took over responsibility for the hospital; the Welfare Department of the County Council, later absorbed by the Social Services Department, took over non-hospital responsibilities.
The Union was divided into six registration districts (Alfreton, Belper, Duffield, Horsley, Ripley and Wirksworth). It contained the folllowing parishes or townships:
Alderwasley, Alfreton, Allestree, Ashleyhay, Belper, Crich, Denby, Dethick Lea and Holloway, Duffield, Hazelwood, Heage, Holbrook, Horsley, Horsley Woodhouse, Idridgehay and Alton, Kedleston, Kilburn, Kirk (and Meynell) Langley, Mackworth, Mapperley, Markeaton, Milford, Morley, Pentrich, Quarndon, Ravensdale Park, Ripley, Shottle and Postern, Smalley, Turnditch, Weston Underwood, Windley, South Wingfield, Wirksworth
The workhouse, after several delays, was finally completed in Sep 1840, on a 2.5 acre site at Babington Meadow. A hospital was built adjacent to it in 1889 with 106 beds, bringing the total capacity of the workhouse hospital to over 300.
After 1930, Derbyshire County Council took control of the site and the old workhouse became the Babington House Public Assistance Institution. During the Second World War, the hospital participated in the Emergency Medical Services scheme, then following the inauguration of the National Health Service in 1948, the institution was renamed Babington Hospital, providing care for 155 geriatric and 16 maternity patients. |
| Custodial History | These records were transferred under the Public Records Act 1958 by the Babington Hospital Administrator in July and August 1990. A further item (D3390/23) was donated by a member of the public in September 2014. |
| Arrangement | BELPER UNION WORKHOUSE, LATER BABINGTON HOSPITAL
D3390/1 Admission and Discharge registers, 1840-1970
D3390/2 Creed registers, 1869-1951
D3390/3-6 Births, Baptisms and Deaths registers, 1840-1983
D3390/7 Inmates registers, 1932-1945
D3390/8, 13 Indoor relief lists/abstracts, 1936-1950
D3390/9 Infirmary admission and discharge registers, 1939-1950
D3390/10-11 Children's home admission and creed registers, 1940-1949
D3390/12 Mental health patients register, 1934-1949
D3390/14 Service patients register, 1939-1942
D3390/15 Maternity and child welfare admission and discharge registers, 1947-1948
D3390/17 House committee minutes 1949-1973
D3390/20 Daily abstracts [patient statistics], 1958-1971
D3390/21-22 Patients' financial records, 1961-1983
D3390/23 Compulsory purchase order, 1878
BELPER COTTAGE HOMES
D3390/16 Creed/childrens' admission register, 1932-1940
HOLBROOK MATERNITY HOME
D3390/18 House committee minutes, 1959-1972
RIPLEY HOSPITAL
D3390/19 House committee minutes 1966-1973 |