Stories from the London Lock Asylum
18 Apr 2025
Georgina Thompson
The Lock Hospital, Hyde Park Corner, Westminster. Engraving by J. Shury after T. H. Shepherd. Image courtesy of the Wellcome Collection. Public domain.
The London Lock Hospital was founded in 1746 and was the first non-profit private hospital (known as voluntary hospitals) for the treatment of venereal disease. It was funded by charitable donations and was aimed at those who could not afford treatment elsewhere.
At this time sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis and gonorrhoea were rife in London and the hospital treated both men and women, in separate buildings of course.
Forty years after the opening of the hospital, the chaplain proposed a home for women who had been treated in the hospital, to help rehabilitate them after they had been “cured” in the hospital. The London Lock Asylum (later known as the Rescue Home) was born, offering a safe place for a select few to live until they could either find employment or return to their families.
Regulations of the London Lock Asylum. Image courtesy of Wellcome Collection. Public domain.
Only those who had behaved well in the hospital – showing themselves to be repentant for their former life, open to religious teachings and willing to abide by the strict rules of the Asylum - were given a place. The Asylum was available to women only, on the assumption that there was a significant risk that they would otherwise have no means of supporting themselves other than prostitution. Efforts were made to help the women rebuild relationships with their families – many would have been ostracised and the Asylum acted as a breathing space while reconciliation was attempted. The Asylum also trained them in domestic service as a route to a better life.
On entry into the Asylum, each woman was interviewed as to their background and circumstances, and their answers were logged. A volume containing interviews from the first 10 years of the Asylum has survived and is held in the archive collection at the College. The entries are in chronological order and give the name, age and place of birth of the ladies. Further information covers their family, work history and the reason for their admission to the hospital. The women came from a variety of backgrounds – some were orphans, others were from very poor backgrounds, but many came from families of skilled workers, shoemakers, tailors, butchers and so on. Often the women had been betrayed by partners or sexually assaulted, leaving them ill and alone. The Asylum gave these women a chance at a new life.
Not all the stories had a happy ending, many ran away, perhaps unhappy with the strict rules – no leaving the Asylum unless accompanied, compulsory attendance at chapel, no games or books without permission and doors to the outside world locked from 8 in the evening to 7 in the morning. However, some did reconcile with their families and others found employment.
The biographies are brief but give a fascinating and personal insight into these women’s lives – these sorts of accounts are rare, it is unusual to have first hand autobiographical details of women in these circumstances. With the pages now digitised, the stories are available to a wider audience, expanding the opportunities for further research into this fascinating slice of social history.
An excerpt from the patient history log.
July 12th 1787
Ann Pryor. About 19 years of age, her father died when she was 7 weeks old and left her mother in reduced circumstances.
She lived with Dr Kennicot of Oxford 4 years and was seduced by a young gentleman of the University – has been a Prostitute abt 4 years – is a relation of Mr Barnard the Kings coachmaker, who refuses to receive her.
Ann Pryor was a person of good understanding, and of excellent abilities, behaved exceedingly well in the Asylum and went as servt to Mr Phillipson in New Bond Street, the 20th October.
An excerpt from the patient history log.
Thursday October 17 1793
Mary Smith, aged 20 years, born at Woolwich in Kent; Her father is a carpenter and with her mother lives at Woolwich….
Has been in service at different times and places, for five or six years past, and lived last at the Ship Public House in Turnagain Lane in the City, which place she left about 5 months ago, and then went & lived with a young woman in Long Acre, till she could get a place, but thro’ her persuasion was induced to go upon the town, and got the venereal disease about 3 months before she came into the Hospital on the 19th August with the Duke of Marlboro letter.
Can read, but not write, can do plain needlework & household work ….
Ran away Feb 13th…
A few years ago, we partnered with The London Archive and LSE to further investigate the lives of the women recorded in this log. During a series of workshops, members of the public used sources such as parish registers and workhouse records to research additional information about the women. The resulting research is due to be published by Professor Patrick Wallis.
The full London Lock catalogue can be accessed on SurgiCat.
The digitised Patient Histories can be viewed on Heritage Collections.
If you would like to make an appointment to view any archival material, please email us at archives@rcseng.ac.uk.
Further reading:
Mackay, S. “‘More ruthless than the Destroying Angel.’ The London Lock Hospital and Rescue Home collection at the Royal College of Surgeons of England.” RCS England Library & Archives blog, 11 March 2020.
Glendenning, K. “Remembering the Women of Lock Asylum.” Economic History, 6 November 2021. LSE.
Wallis, P. “The real women of the Lock Asylum.” Economic History, 3 November 2021. LSE.
LSE. “The Lock Asylum | Audio drama.” 8 November 2021. YouTube.
Georgina Thompson, Assistant Archivist