Penzance School of Nursing

[tonymitch]

Help!!

Does anyone know if a Penzance School of Nursing ever existed? If so, where are the records kept? I have tried the County Council web site but can't find anything. Now, nurse training seems to be done frome the University of Plymouth. I've tried 'Googleing' Penzance School of Nursing to no avail, except to find the name Humphry Davy attached, look it up and I find myself in Sheffield. "Cornwall School of Nursing" and I end up in Jamaica....rum do if you ask me. ;D

[newlyn]

I don't know if a separate Penzance School of Nursing existed but in Penzance

there was the 'West Cornwall Hospital' and 'Bolitho Maternity Home'

Both of these I would think had students at some time.

[jsykora]

Hi Tony,
You got me interested again. One of the family stories involves a cousin being taken to a place where she could study to become a nurse. Parents and brother all dead due to disease so sister made arrangements. The "school" turned out to be a house of prostitution. Therefore, I am curious about your query. Let me know how it goes.

John

[tonymitch]

Hi John,

I'm looking for references to my g-g-mother who was known as Nurse Furze (Elizabeth Furze 1843-1919) and she really was a nurse! Was she qualified? I'm currently awaiting info from the Royal College of Nursing to advise me...I'll keep yoou posted.

Tony M

[HeatherC]

Hello there

According to Access the Archives (A2A) Cornwall Records Office hold the following documents/records for Penzance Hospitals.

X1034/5/1-91 Penzance dispensary and infirmary, 1839-1973

They also hold many more records from this establishment

It's worth bearing in mind that the "school of nursing" may have just been a department within the Penzance Dispensary and Infirmary.... also it could have been a private nursing school in Penzance. Elizabeth may have did her training whilst working at the Union (workhouse)........ or she may not have been qualified in the sense we understand today.

I have ancestors recorded as nurses their qualifications being their experience at nursing infirm people for whatever reason. Not the same as a companion as they actually changed dressings, gave medicines, helped exercise their patient... did what was considered more medical tasks.

BUT........ are you sure she did her training in Penzance? I ask as in 1863 the Redruth Hospital for Miners was founded and there they did have a nursing school although I am not too sure of the date that was founded. Cornwall Records Office also have a large holding of records for this hospital

Best regards
HeatherC

[tonymitch]

Thanks Heather

I haven't a clue where Nurse Furze trained, or even if she did. I know, from meeting a very old lady (90+ back in Abt1988) that she was well known in the West Penwith area as 'Nurse Furze'. The old lady said she delivered her....

Family tradition says she was one of the first to train at Penzance but then the same tradition says she went to S. Africa to nurse the wounded during the Boer War....fact is she sailed there on the SS Sophocles in 1903 and the Boer War finished a year earlier!

Redruth is a possibility. I know there was some connection with that town. I suspect that in those days you would have had to be single, pure as the driven snow, and whilst training, live a life of Contemplative Nun in the security of the hospital.
But as 'Nurse' Furze had her first child at the age of 17 and her last (8 in all) at the age of 37... did she have training?

I'll wait and see what the RCN turn up before I dig any further.

Tony M