IDENTITY STATEMENT
Reference code(s): GB 0100 KH/NL
Held at: King's College London College Archives
Title: King's College Hospital Nurses' League
Date(s): 1861-2004
Level of description: Collection (fonds)
Extent: 61 boxes
Name of creator(s): King's College Hospital Nurses' League
CONTEXT
Administrative/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.
CONTENT
Scope and content/abstract:
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.
ACCESS AND USE
Language/scripts of material: English
System of arrangement:
Arranged as outlined in the scope and content
Conditions governing access:
Most records are open, subject to signature of reader's undertaking form. Records such as student registers, case notes, and ward records, containing personal information about living individuals, are subject to the regulations of the Data Protection Act 1998.
Conditions governing reproduction:
Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Director of Archive and Corporate Record Services.
Physical characteristics:
Finding aids:
Detailed catalogue available online.
ARCHIVAL INFORMATION
Accruals:
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.
Immediate source of acquisition:
Transferred from King's College Hospital Nurses' League, 1985, 1990s. The League continues to publish a journal which is added when received.
ALLIED MATERIALS
Related material:
King's College London Archives also holds records of King's College Hospital, 1562-1999 (Ref: GB 0100 KCLCA KH); and student nurse records of: King's College Hospital School of Nursing, 1885-1998 (Ref: GB 0100 KCLCA KH/NL & K/N/FP); St Thomas's Hospital, [1950-1980] (Ref: GB 0100 KCLCA TH/SN/FP); Dulwich Hospital, 1917-1967 (Ref: GB 0100 KCLCA DH/FP); St Francis Hospital, 1949-1956, (Ref: GB 0100 KCLCA SFH/FP); St Giles Hospital, 1931, 1952-1954 (Ref: GB 0100 KCLCA SGH/FP); and St Saviour's Infirmary, [1890]-1931 (Ref: GB 0100 KCLCA SSH/FP); Lewisham School of Nursing, 1897-1981 (Ref: GB0100 KCLCA DH/FP); New Cross Hospital, 1954-1965 (Ref: GB 0100 KCLCA NC/FP); Hither Green Hospital 1955-1967 (Ref: GB 0100 KCLCA HGH/FP); St John's Hospital, 1955-1969 (Ref: GB 0100 KCLCA SJHC/FP); Thomas Guy and Lewisham School of Nursing, 1985-1992 (Ref: GB 0100 KCLCA TGL/FP); Nightingale and Guy's College of Nursing, 1991-1993 (Ref: GB 0100 KCLCA NG/FP); Guy's Hospital School of Nursing, 1949-1978 (Ref: GB 0100 KCLCA GHN/FP).
Publication note:
DESCRIPTION NOTES
Archivist's note: Sources: King's College Hospital Nurses' League Journal, No 61, 1985. Compiled by Alison Field
Date(s) of descriptions: June 2004