Collection KH/NL - NURSES' LEAGUE: King's College Hospital

Key Information

Reference code

KH/NL

Title

NURSES' LEAGUE: King's College Hospital

Date(s)

  • 1861-2004 (Creation)

Level of description

Collection

Extent

61 boxes

Scope and content

Papers of the King's College Hospital (KCH) Nurses' League comprising material relating to the administration of nursing at KCH including minutes of the Nursing Committee, 1892-1967; minutes of Sisters' meetings, 1955-1967; minutes of Nurses Representative Council, 1948-1962; administrative files, 1904-[1985]; accident reports, 1970, 1975; ward records illustrative of nursing in Sambrooke Ward including patient consent froms, 1955-1956; ward reports, 1955-1956; maintenance registers, 1954-1956; laundry list, 1955; dispensary register, 1955-1956; poisons books, 1955-1956; Nurses' Ward: admission book, 1960-1961; Sick Room / Accident Book, 1958-1963; dangerous drugs register, 1960-1962; dangerous drugs order book, 1962-1965; Princess Elizabeth Ward: report book, 1961-1962; Records of unidentified wards including Night Duty Record Book, 1940; Record Book for stock preparation of dangerous drugs, 1957-1959; patient consent forms, 1957-1959; register of female patients, 1952-1958; miscellaneous patient case notes, 1959, 1963; material relating to the KCH School of Nursing including prospectuses, [1930s-1990s]; Student applications, 1913-1970; course information, 1924-1968; nurses handbooks, [1920s-1970s]; examination question papers, 1924-1965; examination results, 1966-1968; award of prizes, 1949-1967; Preliminary Training School at High Elms, [1920]-1982; records relating to nurses benevolent and trust funds, including minutes, 1917, 1934-1960; banking records, 1923-1959; accounting records, 1935-1967; administrative papers, 1917-1989; files concerning the history of nursing, 1930-1992; papers relating to the archive collection, [1963-2000]; obituaries, 1915-1969; orders of service, [1900]-1974; press cuttings, 1935-1968; ephemera, 1894-[1990s]; objects including hospital equipment, badges, medals, uniforms and other objects, [1848-1990]; photographs including albums 1949-1968; images of royal occasions 1908-[1960]; events [1920s]-1985; portraits [1866-1950]; groups [1900-1980]; illustrated lecture [1900-1980]; District Nursing 1911-1949; KCH Chapel [1913-1970]; KCH Wards [1889-1980]; Baldwin Brown Convalescent Home, Camberley [1900-1990]; miscellaneous photographs [1900-1970]; slides [1950-1980]; negatives 1884-[1913]; publications including Nurses' League Journals 1925-2004 (incomplete); KCH publications [1851]-1958; General Nursing Council publications1940-1967; Ministry of Health / Government Departments publications 1945-1966; general publications relating to nursing [1832]-1973; KCH guild members book [1894-1945]; personal papers collections of nurses 1861-1994, including Mary Winifred Addison; Gertrude L Atwell; Alice Backes; Margery Kathleen Blyde; Isobel Christine Stewart Brown; Grace Lizzie Buffard; Jessie Mignon Canham; Catherine May Clappen; Minnie Clement; Emma Durham; Margaret Durrant (Williams); Irene Rose Halser; Julia Ashbourne (Daisy) Herbert; Joan Hobbs; [Eva Knightly] Hunt; Mary Jones; Mary P Kelly; M Helen Lea; Elsie Mason; Anne Elizabeth Mary Mead; Katherine Henrietta Monk; Isabella Jeanette (Jean)Murray; Elsie M Parkinson; Dorothy Phillips; Margaret Joan Purkis; [Mary] Pyne; Barbara Cecilia Rampton; Dorothy Octavia Robinson; Mrs Rogers; Margaret Annie Stagg; Evelyn Margaret Shaxon; Eva Veneer.

System of arrangement

Arranged as outlined in the scope and content

General Information

Name of creator

Biographical history

King's College Hospital opened in 1840, on a site at Lincoln's Inn Fields, London. In 1913 it moved to its present site at Denmark Hill, South London. In 1856, the Sisterhood of St John the Evangelist signed an agreement with King's College Hospital to provide all nursing and catering for the hospital. When this arrangement was terminated in 1885, the Committee of Management of the Hospital formed its own nursing staff, under Sister-Matron Katharine Monk. Monk reorganised the nursing department and founded the Training School of Nurses. In 1916, five nurses who were leaving King's at that time decided to meet in five years time to renew friendship and exchange news. After that, they met annually until 1924, when they asked the Sister Matron if they could form a League. A small committee was established which was chaired by Miss M A Wilcox (Sister Matron). Its aims were to maintain links between nurses and their training school, and between past and present nurses; to uphold and forward the profession; to publish an annual magazine, and hold annual reunions. Twenty-eight members attended the first reunion of the Nurses' League on 6 Jun 1925.

Archival history

Acquired by King's College Hospital. Members of the King's College Hospital Nurses' League rescued ward and nurse student records from probable destruction in the late 1970s, and they were kept in private homes of League members.

Custodial history

Transferred from King's College Hospital Nurses' League, 1985, 1990s. The League continues to publish a journal which is added when received.

Conditions governing access

Files containing personal data are closed for 80 years and sensitive personal data for 100 years from the date of the most recent document in the file.

Administrative records are generally closed for 20 years except for published material and some committee and other minutes.

Where open, access is subject to signature of Reader's undertaking form, and appropriate provision of two forms of identification, to include one photographic ID.

Conditions governing reproduction

Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied from open material for research purposes only.

Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Archives.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

Finding aids

Detailed catalogue

Related materials

King's College London Archives also holds records of King's College Hospital, 1562-1999 (Ref:GB0100 KCLCA KH); and student nurse records of: King's College Hospital School of Nursing, 1885-1998 (Ref:GB0100 KCLCA KH/NL & K/N/FP); St Thomas's Hospital, [1950-1980] (Ref:GB0100 KCLCA TH/SN/FP); Dulwich Hospital, 1917-1967 (Ref:GB0100 KCLCA DH/FP); St Francis Hospital, 1949-1956, (Ref:GB0100 KCLCA SFH/FP); St Giles Hospital, 1931, 1952-1954 (Ref:GB0100 KCLCA SGH/FP); and St Saviour's Infirmary, [1890]-1931 (Ref:GB0100 KCLCA SSH/FP); Lewisham School of Nursing, 1897-1981 (Ref:GB0100 KCLCA DH/FP); New Cross Hospital, 1954-1965 (Ref:GB0100 KCLCA NC/FP); Hither Green Hospital 1955-1967 (Ref:GB0100 KCLCA HGH/FP); St John's Hospital, 1955-1969 (Ref:GB0100 KCLCA SJHC/FP); Thomas Guy and Lewisham School of Nursing, 1985-1992 (Ref:GB0100 KCLCA TGL/FP); Nightingale and Guy's College of Nursing, 1991-1993 (Ref:GB0100 KCLCA NG/FP); Guy's Hospital School of Nursing, 1949-1978 (Ref:GB0100 KCLCA GHN/FP).

Alternative identifier(s)

Place access points

Genre access points

Rules and/or conventions used

Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000.

Script(s)

Archivist's note

Sources: King's College Hospital Nurses' League Journal, No 61, 1985. Compiled by Alison Field

Accession area