The State Records Office of Western Australia holds a collection of records created by Fremantle Asylum. This collection includes record series relating to patients, including admissions, discharges, treatments, case notes, and “occurrences”. These records relate to patients admitted to Fremantle Asylum, however they also include some records relating to patients transferred to Claremont Mental Hospital.
Access
The majority of the records in this collection are open, due to their age, however some are restricted for 100 years from the date of their creation in order to protect personal privacy. Please contact the Department of Health Freedom of Information Unit for permission to access restricted records. For access to open records please contact the State Records Office of Western Australia.
Records
The records of Fremantle Asylum held by the State Records Office of Western Australia include:
- Day Books – Fremantle Asylum – Male and Female, 1906 – 1908. Contains daily returns and observations of patients at Fremantle Asylum. These records are open. SROWA reference S1344.
- Occurrence Books, 1859 – 1901. A series of nine books recording “occurrences”, reports, and statistics relating to female patients, as well as some details relating to admissions, discharges, and seriously ill patients. These records are open. SROWA reference S2216.
- Daily Journals – Male, 1857 – 1871. Contains daily records of behaviour of male patients, identified by name. These records are open. SROWA reference S2217.
- Daily Journals – Female, 1858 – 1961. Contains daily records of the medical officer about female patients at the Fremantle Asylum, and Claremont Mental Hospital. These records are restricted for 75 years. SROWA reference S2218.
- Case Books, 1857 – 1918. Contains details about physical and medical conditions of patients at Fremantle Asylum, and some from Claremont Mental Hospital. These records are open. SROWA reference S2219.
- Attendants’ Report Books, 1901 – ?. Contains daily observations of patients by attendants at Fremantle Asylum. There are separate books for female and male patients. These records are Open. SROWA reference S2220.
- Patient Admission Forms, 1870 – 1944. A series of admission forms for Fremantle Asylum and Claremont Mental Hospital. The forms are titled with patient name and contain patient personal details, reasons for admission, personal property lists, death notices, and other notes. These records are restricted for 100 years. SROWA reference S4397.
- Registers – Patient Admissions, Discharges and Deaths, 1857 – 1909. A series of eight registers recording admissions, discharges, and deaths of patients at Fremantle Asylum. These records are open. SROWA reference S4507.
- Various Records – Mental Health Hospitals, 1909 – 1955. Contains miscellaneous correspondence and other items from Fremantle Asylum, Claremont Mental Hospital, and Whitby Falls Hospital. The majority of these records mention or relate to individual patients. These records are restricted for 100 years. SROWA reference S4867.
