Illuminating Nineteenth-Century English Urban Midwifery: the register of a Coventry midwife |
| |
Authors: | Frances J. Badger |
| |
Affiliation: | 1. fj.badger@btinternet.com |
| |
Abstract: | The three-volume register of a sworn midwife provides unique insights into midwifery practice in an English city in the second half of the nineteenth century. The register is a rare primary source, and contains 5029 entries, from July 1847 to October 1875. Considered alongside the limited sources discovered to date, this analysis casts light on our understandings of non-elite midwifery, and the wider context of women's work in the nineteenth century. The midwife's patterns of work, her relationships with clients and lying-in charities, and the impact of local economic circumstances on her practice are discussed. Despite her extensive practice, the official record of her occupation is meagre. |
| |
Keywords: | |
|
|