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Index

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 December 2025

Leah Astbury
Leah Astbury
Affiliation:
University of Bristol

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Chapter
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Making Babies in Early Modern England , pp. 246 - 256
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2026
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Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This content is Open Access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/cclicenses/

Index

Note: page numbers in italic type indicate a figure.

abortion, 47–48, 60
Adams, Richard, 104
adultery and child legitimacy concerns, 2–3, 76–81, 120
Aho, James, 61
almanacs, 29, 50, See also diaries and commonplace books
Amorous Lady’s Garland, The (ballad), 58
Anne, Queen, 8
aphrodisiacs, 39–41
Archer, Anne and Isaac, 148, 154
Aristotle’s Masterpiece (1690), 78, 117, 141–142, 147, 151, 158
Arte and Science (Jones, 1579), 115
Arthington, Mary, 21, 77
Arundel, Anne, countess of, 53, 97, 129, 171, 173
Ashmole, Elias, 96
astrologer-physicians. See Forman, Simon (astrologer-physician); Napier, Richard (astrologer-physician)
Athenian Mercury, 26–27, 33
Aveling, James, 111
Avicenna, 169, 191
babies, care for. See infant care
Bachelers Banquet, The (Dekker, 1604), 105
Bagot, Sir Walter, 23–24
ballads
on fertility problems, 19
generally, 13–14
on midwives, 120–121
on unmarried mothers, 56–58, 85–86, 91
on women’s sexual duplicity, 29, 58, 59, 79 See also satirical work
baptism of infants, 119, 132–133, 134, 137, 163, 179
Barclay, Katie, 52
barrenness. See fertility
Barret, Robert
on diagnosing pregnancy, 55
on infant care, 171–172, 174, 187, 191–192
on infant development during pregnancy, 99
on infertility, 33–36
on miscarriage prevention, 70
on obstetric care by midwives, 142
on pregnancy duration, 77
on universal desire for children, 7
Bath, Henry Bourchier, fifth earl of, 84
bathing infants, 178–181
Bathurst, Anne, 200
bedding and other linen, 100–103, 106, 108, 183–184
Begiato, Joanne, 206
Beier, Lucinda, 193
Bell, Suzanne, 52
Bentley, Thomas, 136–137
Berry, Helen, 27, 37
Bessy, Elizabeth, 142
bewitchment. See witchcraft
bibles, family records in, 10–12
‘big bellies’. See pregnant stomach displays
birth. See childbirth
bleeding, after birth (‘lochia’), 146–151
bleeding, menstrual. See menstruation
blood-letting treatment, 146, 149, 155
Bloudy Mother, The (1610 pamphlet), 172
borrowed childbirth accoutrements, 101–103, 106
Bourchier, Henry, fifth earl of Bath, 84
Bourgeois, Louise, 182
Bowlby, John, 183
Boyle, Roger, second earl of Orrery (Lord Broghill)., See Sackville family
Brathwaite, Richard, 71
breastfeeding
breast milk, medical view of, 156, 190–191
commencement of, 190–191
diet for lactating women, 181
emotional bonding induced by, 191–192
idealised view of, 169
infant sleep induced by, 187
recipes to increase milk supply, 10
sore or inflamed breasts affecting, 125, 156–158
by wet nurses. See wet nursing
‘breeding’. See pregnancy
Bridgewater, Elizabeth, countess of, 139, 144, 158
Bright, Timothy, 170
British monarchy, 7–8
Broghill, Lord. See Sackville family
Browne, Mary, 194–195
Buchan, William, 186
Bufton, Joseph, 13
Bunyan, John, 185
Burrough, Jeremiah, 71
Busbridge family, 53, 72, 91
Byrth of Mankynde (Roeslin, 1540), 34–35, 114
Cadogan, William, 185–186
Capp, Bernard, 206
Carey, Catherine, Lady Knollys, 86, 87
Catherine of Braganza, 8, 85
Cavallo, Sandra, 166
Cavendish, Jane, 102
Chamberlayne, Thomas, 54–55, 66, 94
Chamberlen family (man-midwives), 113, 116, 125, 140
Charles II, 7
Chaste Maid in Cheapside, A (Middleton, 1630), 104–105
Chaytor, Anne, 22
Chaytor, Peregrina and William, 93, 100–101, 106, 131–135, 153
cheerfulness, women’s duty of, 34, 70–71, 73–74
Cheyne, Charles, 139
childbearing guides
on diagnosing pregnancy, 54–56, 60, 65–66
generally, 2, 13
images of unborn infants, 97–98, 98–99
on infant care. See infant care
on infant development during pregnancy, 99–100
on infertility causes, 32–36
on miscarriage prevention, 69–71
on obstetric care, 114–118, 140–143, 147
on postnatal recovery, 146–148, 159
on pregnancy duration, 77
on sex during menstruation, 25–26
on universal desire for children, 19–20, 47
on women’s duty of generation, 7, 17–18
childbirth
birthing chambers, 82–83, 129–130
clandestine, 3, 5, 119
female attendants, 3, 5, 83, 130–131, 206, See also midwives, female
husbands present, 131–132
infant care after delivery. See infant care
male attendants. See midwives, male
maternal deaths, accounts of, 160–164
pain and its relief, 136–145
painless, 57, 139, 143
premature, 77
public celebrations of. See public celebrations of pregnancy and childbirth
purchases in anticipation of, 100–109, 183–184
recovery from. See postnatal recovery
triggers of, 99
umbilical cord cutting, 147, 176–177
women’s fear of not surviving, 48–49, 133–135, 138–139, 162–163
Child-birth or Womans Lecture, The (Hooke, 1590), 17–18
childlessness. See fertility
Children’s Book, The (Wurtz, 1656), 182
Cholmely, Hugh, 79
christening of infants, 119, 132–133, 134, 137, 163, 179
Churchill, Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, 86
churching (thanksgiving) ceremonies, 3, 83, 132–133, 134, 137, 139–140, 145–146
clandestine births, 3, 5, 119
Clare, John Holles, 2nd Earl of, 31
Clark, Alice, 112
Clerk, Sir John, 162
Clifford, Anne, 129
Clifford, John, 123
Clinton, Elizabeth, countess of Lincoln, 191–192, 201
clothes, maternity, 85
‘clouts’ (cloths and nappies), 102, 108, 180–181
Cobham, Lady Frances, 77
Coke, Mildred, Lady Burghley, 87–88
Coleman, Alice, 130–131
colostrum, medical view of, 190–191
Companion for Midwives, A (Barret, 1699)., See Barret, Robert
Compleat Midwifes Practice, The (1656, enlarged edition 1698), 7, 36, 117, 147, 173
Compton, Barbara, 72
Compton, James, third earl of Northampton, 21, 47
conception. See fertility; pregnancy
conduct books, 71
Congreve family, 129
convulsive fits, 153, 158, 172–173
Conway, Anne and Edward, 67–68, 80, 144, 154–155, 195–196
Cope, Eliza, 96
Copy of Verses of a Baker and a Mealman, A (ballad), 57–58
correspondence. See letters
Cotton, John, 148–149
‘courses’. See menstruation
cravings in pregnancy, 72, 208
Crawford, Patricia, 83
Cressy, David, 137
crimes against pregnant women, 88–90
Crooke, Helkiah, 77
Cruel Mother, The (1670 pamphlet), 171–172
crying infants, views on, 169–174
Culpeper, Nicholas
on infant care, 179, 187, 192
on infertility, 33–35
on miscarriage prevention, 70
on obstetric care by midwives, 116–117
on universal desire for children, 20
on women’s ignorance of pregnancy, 51
Cunningham, Margaret, 130
Daffy’s Elixir, 46
Danby, Katherine/Catherine, 129, 132, 153, 196–198, See also Thornton, Alice
Dawkes, Thomas, 143
De Conceptu et Generatione Hominis (Rüff, 1554), 60, 99, 115, 149, 166, 167
death
infant. See infant death and stillbirth
maternal deaths, accounts of, 160–164
Dee, John, 64
deformed infants. See physical abnormalities, infants
Dekker, Thomas, 105
Delaval, Robert, 188–189, 191
delivery. See childbirth
Devereux, Robert, third earl of Essex, 27–28
D’Ewes family, 21, 184, 184–185, 187, 191, 196
diaries and commonplace books
almanacs, 29, 50
generally, 9–13
men’s records of wives’ pregnancies and fertility, 63–65, 67–68, 205–206
men’s views of women’s generative work, 10
recipes in,148 See recipe books
women’s genealogical record-keeping in, 10–13, 52–53, 140
women’s personal record-keeping in, 51, 59–63, 81, 92–93 See also names of particular diarists
diet
conception aided by, 29, 33, 35
food cravings in pregnancy, 72, 208
for lactating women, 181, 192
for newborn infants, 190
in pregnancy, 51, 70, 72
for women in labour, 141
Directory for Midwives, A (Culpeper, 1656). See Culpeper, Nicholas
disabled infants. See physical abnormalities, infants
Discourse of the Married and Single Life, A (1621), 19–20
discretion. See secrecy
divorce of earl and countess of Macclesfield, 1–3, 6, 203–204
Dobbie, B. M. Willmott, 163
domestic duties of women. See women’s domestic duties
Dormer, Anne, 156
Dorset, earls of. See Sackville family
Drax, Frances Tufton, 160–162
due date ‘reckonings’, 76–81, 93
Dunton, John, 27
eagle stones, 68, 143–144
Egerton, Elizabeth, countess of Bridgewater, 139, 144, 158
Ehrenreich, Barbara, 112
emotional regulation duty of women, 17, 34, 70–71, 73–74
English Midwife Enlarged, The (1682), 60
English, Deirdre, 112
enslaved women as wet nurses, 193–194
erectile dysfunction. See male infertility
Errington, Barbara, 130–131
Essex, Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of, 27–28
Evans, Jennifer, 22
Evelyn, John, 53–54, 60
Every Woman Her Own Midwife (1675), 70, 75, 141
Expert Midwife, The (Rüff, 1636), 60, 99, 115, 149, 166, 167
Faircloth, Charlotte, 207–208
false or uncertain pregnancies, 65–69, 128
family archives, 10–12, 52–53
family celebrations. See public celebrations of pregnancy and childbirth
family name and status concerns, 2–3, 20–22, 47, 49, 80–81
Fanshawe, Lady Ann, 46, 153–154, 198
Feilding, Dorothy Frances, 10
female birth attendants (family and friends), 3, 5, 83, 130–131, 206, See also midwives, female
Female Doctress (ballad), 19
feminist historians, 3–4
fertility
family name and status concerns, 2–3, 20–22, 47, 49, 80–81
male boasting about, 23–24, 50–51, 84
male infertility. See male infertility
medical explanations of infertility, 32–37, 41–44
men’s records of wives’ fertility, 63–65, 205–206
menstruation. See menstruation
personal anxiety about, 19–22
remedies for infertility, 10, 22–23, 29–30, 34, 37–41, 44–46
societal anxiety about, 8–9, 17–19
‘women’s secrets’ about, 30–32, 35, 50
See also pregnancy.
Fifteen Real Comforts of Matrimony (1683), 85
Fildes, Valerie, 183
Fissell, Mary E., 6, 52, 113–114
Fleming family, 123
‘flowers’ or ‘flux’. See menstruation
food and drink. See diet
forceps, 113, 128
Forman, Simon (astrologer-physician)
consulted by midwives and wet nurses, 125, 199–200
due date forecasts, 76, 78
gender of infant forecasts, 94
infant care advice, 172–173
infertility cases, 20, 41–42
on postnatal recovery, 147
pregnancy diagnoses, 55, 66–67
Fox, Sarah, 102
Foyster, Elizabeth, 37
Freke, Elizabeth, 125, 129, 197
Galley, Chris, 163–164
Gawdy, Lettice, 108
gender of infant speculations, 93–96
genealogical record-keeping, 10–13, 52–53, 140
generation (whole process of childbearing)
‘generation’ term, 2
historical sources on. See ballads; childbearing guides; diaries and commonplace books; letters; medical practitioners’ casebooks; recipe books; satirical works
Macclesfield divorce case subverting norms of, 1–3, 6, 203–204
men’s duties. See men
religious views on. See religious views
resonance of study findings in modern era, 207–208
servants’ roles. See servants
structure of study, 14–16
women’s duties. See women’s generative duties
women’s supposed secret knowledge of, 30–32, 35, 50–51, 54–55, 64See also childbirth; fertility; pregnancy.
genitals, female, 25–26, 144, 158, See also wombs
genitals, male, 41, 43–44, See also male infertility
Gentlewomans Companion, The (Woolley, 1673), 71
Gerard, Anne and Charles (Macclesfield divorce case), 1–3, 6, 203–204
Gheeraerts, Marcus (the Younger), 86
Giffard, William, 143
gifts and other purchases for pregnant women, 100–109, 133–135, 183–184
Glenorchy, Harriet, viscountess of, 197
Glyd, Anne, 10, 145
Goad, Thomas, 162–163
Godfrey-Faussett family, 158
godparents’ naming of infants, 96
Gordon, Sir John, 126
‘gossips’ (friends and family at birth), 3, 5, 83, 130–131, 206, See also midwives, female
Gouge, William, 51, 56
Gowing, Laura, 5, 52, 57, 137, 206
Grant, John, 163
Greene, Anne, 177–178
Grenville, Honor, viscountess Lisle, 85, 102–103, 108
grief, effect on postnatal recovery, 153–155
Guillemeau, Jacques, 146, 170–171, 179–180, 182, 187–189, 191
haemorrhage, postpartum, 146
haemorrhoids, 150
Halbwachs, Maurice, 52
Hall, John, 149–150
Hamilton, Margaret, 130, 159
Handley, Sasha, 102
Harley, David, 112
Harley, Lady Brilliana, 158
Harrold, Edmund, 64–65
Hastings, Theophilis, seventh earl of Huntingdon, 25–26
Hatton, Mary, 165
Hearn, Karen, 86–88
Henry family, 195
Henry VIII, 7, 85
‘hermaphrodite’ (intersex) infants, 95
Hippocrates, 77, 99, 146
Hoby, Lady Margaret, 176
Holles family, 31, 102
Hooke, Christopher, 17–18, 49
Hooker, Blanch, 45–46
household management. See women’s domestic duties
Howard, Frances, countess of Somerset, 27–28
Hufton, Olwen, 37
humoural theories
on gender determination, 94–96
on infant care, 175, 181
on infertility, 33, 38–39, 42, 45–46
on postnatal recovery, 151, 159
Huntingdon, Theophilis Hastings, 7th Earl of, 25–26
Hurl, Jenine, 90
husbands. See men
Hutton, Frances, 91
illegitimacy concerns, 2–3, 76–81, 120
impotence. See male infertility
infant care
bathing and changing nappies, 178–181
breastfeeding. See breastfeeding
crying, views on, 169–174
generally, 167–169, 201–202
idealised image of, 166, 167, 174
by mother or servants, uncertainty over, 168–169, 171, 174, 184–185, 201
skin colour change observations, 174–176
sleeping, views on, 187–189
swaddling, 181–186
teething, 196, 202
whether affectionate, 183, 192–193See also physical abnormalities, infants.
infant death and stillbirth
baby brasses commemorating, 184–185, 184
grief affecting postnatal recovery, 153–155
infanticide allegations, 92, 106–107, 155–156, 171–172, 177–178
medical advisers blamed for, 191
midwives blamed for, 115–116, 120, 125, 171
mothers blamed for, 142
vigilance to prevent, 174–176, 189
infertility. See fertility; male infertility
intersex infants, 95
Isham, Judith, 80–81
Jackson, Charles, 9–10
Jackson, Jane, 39, 41, 144, 151, 157–159
James II, 8
Jenstadt, Janelle Day, 101
Jerningham family, 172
Jessop, William, 123
Jinner, Sarah, 29–30
Jocelin, Elizabeth, 162–163
Johnson, Sir Archibald, 63–64
Jones, John
on bathing infants, 115, 179
on breastfeeding, 190–192
on crying infants, 169–170
on inducing infant sleep, 187
on infants’ head shapes, 176–177, 182–183
on swaddling infants, 182
Joseph, Caryl, 138
Josselin, Jane and Ralph, 64, 93, 130, 198
Keller, Eve, 97–98
Kenyon, Alice, 198–200
Kershaw, Edmund, 145
Knollys, Catherine, 86, 87
Knott, Sarah, 6
Knutsford, Anne, 122
labour. See childbirth
lactation. See breastfeeding
Lamentable Ballad of the Lady’s Fall, 56–57
Lane, George, 84
Langton, George, 140
Lass of Lyn’s sorrowful Lamentation for the loss of her Maidenhead (ballad), 85–86
Lass of Lynn’s New Joy For finding a Father for her Child (ballad), 79, 105, 120
laudanum for labour pain relief, 142–143
Lawes-Wittewronge, James, 69
Lay, Susan, 198
Legge, George, 24
Legge, William, 23–24
legitimacy concerns, 2–3, 76–81, 120
Leigh, Dorothy, 163
Leong, Elaine, 13
letters
generally, 12
maternal deaths, eulogistic accounts, 160–164
by men, 10, 23–24, 67–68
midwife and wet nurse recommendations, 121–129, 194–199
pressurising couples to have children, 20–22
Lewis, Judith, 164
Lightfoote, Dafeny, 195, 198
Lincoln, Elizabeth, Countess of, 191–192, 201
linen acquisitions, 100–103, 106, 108, 183–184
Lisle, Honor, Viscountess, 85, 102–103, 108
Lister, Dame Mary, 41, 45
lochial bleeding (postpartum), 146–151
lullabies, 187
Lupton, Thomas, 144
Luther, Martin, 7
lying-in, 82–83, 145–146, 166, 167, 174
Macclesfield divorce case, 1–3, 6, 203–204
Maclean, Euphemia, 143
MacMath, James, 169
male birth attendants. See midwives, male
male infertility
men blamed for, 24, 42–43
remedies for, 14, 34, 39–41, 44–46
secrecy and shame surrounding, 2–3, 18–19, 22–28, 46–47, 49, 205
women blamed for, 34–37
Manley, Katherine, 125
man-midwives. See midwives, male
Marlborough, Sarah, duchess of, 86
Marsh, A., 29, 30, 47, 50–51, 84, 105
Mary I, 85
Mary of Modena, 8, 85
maternal deaths, accounts of, 160–164
maternity clothes and stomachers, 85
Mauriceau, François, 36, 176, 187, 189
McClive, Cathy, 52
Meautys, Anne, 77
medical practitioners’ casebooks
false or uncertain pregnancy cases, 65–67, 78–79, 128
gender of infant forecasts, 94
generally, 13, 61
infant care advice, 172–173
infertility cases, 20, 22–23, 41–44
postnatal recovery cases, 148–150, 155–156
medicines for infertility, 45–46
men
birth attendants. See midwives, male
birth preparations by, 83
boasts about virility, 23–24, 50–51, 84
duties towards wives in pregnancy, 74–76, 103, 108–109, 130
generative work generally, 3–4, 205–207
infertility of. See male infertility
midwife appointment decisions by, 113, 121–129
presence during childbirth, 131–132
private views of women’s generative work, 10
records of wives’ pregnancies and fertility, 63–65, 67–68, 205–206
menstruation
‘clouts’ used during, 108
lochial bleeding (postpartum), 146–151
medical view of, 147–148
men’s tracking of wives’ cycles, 63–64, 205
problems affecting, 33, 60
remedies to encourage (or induce abortion), 48, 60
sex during, 25–26
stopped periods an unreliable guide to pregnancy, 60, 65
women’s duty to track cycle, 51, 59–61
Middleton, Thomas, 104–105
Midwives Book, The (Sharp, 1671), See Sharp, Jane
Mid-wives just Petition, The (1643 pamphlet), 8
midwives, female
decisions to appoint, 121–124
networks of clients, 124
oaths taken by, 118–119
services provided by, 124–125
Jane Sharp. See Sharp, Jane
skills disparaged, 115–121, 128–129
social rituals encouraged by, 5
supplanted by men. See midwives, male
unmarried mothers aided by, 106
witchcraft accusations against, 4, 112, 143–144, 168–169
midwives, male
advent of, 3–4, 111–114
decisions to appoint, 113, 125–129
perceived as dangerous, 120, 125, 161, 171
professionalisation attempts by, 116
miscarriage
late term, 77
prevention advice, 60–61, 69–76
recipes to prevent, 60–61, 88
unmarried mothers suffering, 177–178
women blamed for, 10, 17
Moffett, Thomas, 191
Molyneaux, John, 21
Molyns, Elizabeth, 103
‘monstrous’ births. See physical abnormalities, infants
Mordaunt, Penelope and John, 21, 92, 108, 122, 196, 200
More, Henry, 154–155
‘mother’. See wombs
Moulin, Peter, 185
Munkhoff, Richelle, 100
murder
of infants, 92, 106–107, 155–156, 171–172, 177–178
of pregnant women, 88–90
Mytton, Letitia, 46
naming of infants, 96
Napier, Richard (astrologer-physician)
consulted by midwives and wet nurses, 125, 199–200
due date forecasts, 76–79
gender of infant forecasts, 94
infant care advice, 172–173
infertility cases, 20, 40–44
midwife recommendations, 122
postnatal recovery cases, 149–150, 155–156
pregnancy diagnoses, 66–67, 197
nappies, 102, 108, 180–181
neonatal care. See infant care
neonatal death. See infant death and stillbirth
Newcome, Henry, 130
Newman, Karen, 97–98
Newton, Hannah, 95, 138, 159
Nicolls, Sir Edward, 24
nipples, 55, 94, 157
‘non-naturals’ (infants’ basic needs), 166–167
Northampton, James Compton, third earl of, 21, 47
notebooks. See diaries and commonplace books
Nugent, Lady Maria, 194
nursing. See breastfeeding; wet nursing
obstetrics. See childbirth
Of Domesticall Duties (Gouge, 1621), 51
Okeover, Elizabeth, 172
Oliver, John, 7, 69, 100
‘ordering’ of infants. See infant care
Oren-Magidor, Daphna, 23
Orrery, earl and countess of. See Sackville family
Ottely, Thomas, 96
Oxford, Edward de Vere, seventeenth earl of, 78–79
Paget, Sir William, 24
Paidon Nosemata (1664), 172, 190
pain
believed to end after birth, 139–140
breast pain or inflammation, 156–158
labour pain and its relief, 136–145
pamphlets. See satirical works
Parrey, Margaret, 118–119
Paul, Tawny, 207
Pechey, John
on infant care, 170, 175, 179–181, 189–190
on infertility, 36
on postnatal care, 146–147, 156
penises, maladies of, 41, 43–44, See also male infertility
Pepys, Samuel, 31, 37, 63, 85
periods. See menstruation
Peyton, Thomas, 103
physical abnormalities, infants
assessments at birth, 176
deliberate manipulation efforts, 176–177
explanations for, 8, 17, 25, 72–73, 177–178
gender indeterminate, 95
swaddling to correct deformities, 181–183
tongue-tie, 175–176See also infant care.
physicians’ casebooks. See medical practitioners’ casebooks
piles (haemorrhoids), 150
placenta removal, 147, 176
‘pleading the belly’ to avoid execution, 52, 54, 90–91
Poeton, Edward, 115–116
Pollock, Linda, 5, 83, 183, 206
population decline concerns, 8–9
portraits of women with pregnant stomachs, 86–88, 87
postnatal recovery
breast pain or inflammation, 125, 156–158
deaths after childbirth, 163–164
depression and psychosis, 155–156
generally, 137–138, 159–160, 164–165
grief affecting, 153–155
lochial bleeding (postpartum), 146–151
lying-in for one month, 82–83, 145–146, 166, 167, 174
pain believed to end after birth, 139–140
prolonged physical recoveries, 151–153
stretched skin, 159
tears and prolapses, 158–159
prayers, 20, 115, 118, 125, 136–137, 139
pregnancy
announcements and due date ‘reckonings’, 53–54, 59, 76–81, 93
diagnosing, 20, 39, 51–60, 66–67
false or uncertain, 65–69, 128
food cravings in, 72, 208
images of unborn infants, 97–98, 98–99
infant development during, 99–100
infant’s gender speculations, 93–96
infant’s personality speculations, 96–97
men’s record-keeping about, 63–65, 67–68, 205–206
miscarriage prevention advice, 60–61, 69–76
out of wedlock. See unmarried mothers
pregnant stomach displays. See pregnant stomach displays
public celebrations of. See public celebrations of pregnancy and childbirth
termination of, 47–48, 60
at time of marriage, 56
women’s record-keeping about, 59–63, 81, 93
‘women’s secrets’ about, 50–51, 54–55, 64
pregnant stomach displays
‘big’ bellies interpreted, 89–93, 109–110
clothing for, 85–86
family pride in, 83–85
portraiture, 86–88, 87
recipe book images, 87–88, 89
premature births, 77
Present for Teeming Women, A (Oliver, 1663), 7, 100
presents and other purchases for pregnant women, 100–109, 133–135, 183–184
Problemes of Aristotle (1595), 32
procreation. See generation (whole process of childbearing)
prostitutes, 26
Protestant reformers on generation, 7, 76, See also religious views
public celebrations of pregnancy and childbirth
churching and baptism ceremonies, 3, 83, 132–133, 134, 137, 139–140, 145–146
generally, 2–3, 82–83
male boasting, 23–24, 50–51, 84
naming of infants, 96
pregnant stomach displays. See pregnant stomach displays
presents and other purchases, 100–109, 133–135, 183–184
recipe books
abortifacient recipes, 48
advertisements for medicines in, 45–46
aphrodisiacs, 39–41
crying infants, recipes to soothe, 172–174
fertility, recipes to increase, 10, 38–40
generally, 13, 61
images of pregnant stomachs, 87–88
labour pain relief recipes, 144–145
miscarriage prevention recipes, 60–61, 88
postpartum bleeding, recipes to stop, 150–151
recipes from midwives, 124–125
salves for sore breasts and nipples, 125, 157–158
‘reckonings’ of due dates, 76–81, 93
record-keeping. See diaries and commonplace books
recovery from childbirth. See postnatal recovery
Reid, Alice, 163–164
religious views
on breastfeeding, 200–201
childlessness as will of God, 34, 46, 62–63
on labour pain, 139, 142–145
midwives urged to be pious, 117–118
miscarriage as will of God, 74
moderate purchasing before childbirth, 103–104
on postnatal recovery, 145–146
prayers, 20, 115, 118, 125, 136–137, 139
on sex within marriage, 76
on women’s duty of generation, 7, 17–18, 48–49, 199See also witchcraft.
reproduction/reproductive labour. See generation (whole process of childbearing)
Rich, Mary, countess of Warwick, 22, 46, 49, 71, 130, 154
Roeslin, Eucharius, 34–35, 114
Roper, Lyndal, 168
Rousseau, Jean-Jacques, 186
Rublack, Ulinka, 73
Rüff, Jakob, 60, 99, 115, 149, 166, 167
Ryder, Dudley, 24–25
Sackville family
childbirth anticipation, 93, 96
fertility concerns, 21, 25, 32
pregnancy celebrations, 84
wet nurse appointment, 194
Sadler, John, 115
Samson, Agnes, 143
satirical works
on fertility problems, 19, 28–29, 30
generally, 13–14
on midwives, 120–121
on population decline, 8
pregnant stomachs displayed in, 84–85
on purchases before childbirth, 29, 104–106See also ballads.
Savage, Anne and Richard (Anne Gerard’s children), 1, 3
Savage, Richard, 1
Savage, Sarah, 62–63
Scotch Moggy’s Misfortune (ballad), 58, 59
Scrope, Lucy, 78
‘searching’ infants, 174–176
secrecy
clandestine births, 3, 5, 119
male infertility and, 2–3, 18–19, 22–28, 46–47, 49, 205
‘women’s secrets’, 30–32, 35, 50–51, 64
Selby, Ellen, 77
Sennert, Daniel, 170, 179
Sermon, William, 51, 55, 65–66, 142
servants
generative work generally, 6, 207
infant care role, uncertainty over, 168–169, 171, 174, 184–185, 201
midwives. See midwives, female; midwives, male
night nurses, 188
wet nurses. See wet nursing
sex
aphrodisiacs, 39–41
female performance, 8–9
frequency of, 33, 76
immediate signs of conception, 55
lactating women to refrain from, 190
male performance, 2–3, 24
male sexual dysfunction, 27–30
men’s record-keeping about, 64–65
menstruating women to refrain from, 25–26
pre-marital, ballads on, 56–58
sex of infant speculations, 93–96
sexually transmitted diseases, 26, 29–30, 41, 43–44
Seymour, Jane, 85
Sharp, Jane
on diagnosing pregnancy, 51, 54–55, 59
frontispiece of childbearing guide, 132–133, 134
gender of infant forecasts, 94–95
images of unborn infants, 97–99
on infant care, 170, 174–175, 179, 181
on infertility, 33–34
on labour pain relief, 141
on miscarriage prevention, 70
on postnal recovery, 146–147, 158
on sex during menstruation, 25
skills of midwives disparaged, 119
on triggers on childbirth, 99
on universal desire for children, 20
Shrewsbury, Jane, 20
Shrowl, James, 41
Sick Womans Looking Glass (Sadler, 1636), 115
single pregnant women. See unmarried mothers
sleep for infants, views on, 187–189
Smith, Lisa W., 44
Smyth family, 152, 156, 164–165
Somerset, Frances, countess of, 27–28
Somerset, Mary, marchioness of Worcester, 125
sperm, ‘weakness’ of. See male infertility
Springatt, Frances, 38, 151
St John, Johanna, 38, 41
St John, Oliver, 139–140
stillbirth. See infant death and stillbirth
stomachers and maternity clothes, 85
Stone, Lawrence, 37, 183, 192
Stone, Sarah, 72–73, 119–120, 127, 171, 174
Storch, Johann, 66
Storey, Tessa, 166
Suddell, Joanna, 60–61
superstitions, 34, 68, 72–73, 143–144
swaddling of infants, 181–186
Swynsen, William, 107
Syderfin, Anne, 69
Tadmor, Naomi, 207
Talbot family, 53, 97, 129, 171, 173
‘teeming’. See pregnancy
teething by infants, 196, 202
Temple, Anna, 72–74
Temple, Sir Peter, 40–41
Ten Pleasures of Marriage (Marsh, 1682), 29, 30, 47, 50–51, 84, 105
thanksgiving (churching) ceremonies, 3, 83, 132–133, 134, 137, 139–140, 145–146
Thompson, Elizabeth, 125
Thompson, Stephanie, 52
Thornhough, Francis, 139–140
Thornton, Alice
autobiographical writings, 9–10
on birth experiences, 77, 139
decision to breastfeed or wet nurse infants, 193, 195
on postnatal experiences, 150, 152–153, 173
on pregnancies, 48–49, 54, 91, 96–97
on sister’s death in childbirth, 160
Throckmorton, Anne, 40–41
Thynne family, 121–123
Titus Pomponius Atticus, 191
tongue-tied infants, 175–176
Trelawny, Charles, 153
Trumbach, Randolph, 37
Tufton, Elizabeth, 160–162
Tulley, Nancy, 128
Twysden, Isabella, 92, 140
umbilical cord cutting, 147, 176–177
unborn infants, images of, 97–98, 98–99
uncertain or false pregnancies, 65–69, 128
unmarried mothers
abortion attempts, 47–48
ballads about, 56–58, 85–86, 91
condemned women ‘pleading the belly’, 52, 54, 90–91
infanticide allegations against, 92, 106–107, 171–172, 177–178
painless births reported, 57, 139, 143
stomachs scrutinised, 92
treatment during childbirth, 5
uteri. See wombs
venereal disease, 26, 29–30, 41, 43–44
Vere, Edward de, seventeenth earl of Oxford, 79
Verney, Mary and Richard, 151–152
Waddell, Brodie, 13
Walker, Elizabeth and Anthony, 152
Wallington, Grace and Nehemiah, 93, 139, 157
Wandesford, Christopher, 153
Warwick, Mary Rich, countess of, 22, 46, 49, 71, 130, 154
washing infants, 178–181
Weil, Rachel, 4
Weisser, Olivia, 100
Wemyss, Margaret, countess of, 54, 74–75, 80–81, 83–84, 96, 132
Wentworth family, 31, 80–81, 93–94, 107, 126–128, 140
Westover, John, 150
wet nursing
appointment of wet nurses, 190, 192, 194–199
care expectations of wet nurses, 198–200
in nurse’s own home, 197–198
reasons for discouraging, 190–192, 200–201
social/racial hierarchies and, 70, 192–194, 207See also breastfeeding.
Whiteley, Rebecca, 98–99
Whitelocke, Bulstrode, 197–198
Williams, Tim-Reinke, 206
Willoughby, Bridget, 103
Willughby, Percival, 66, 117–118
Wilson, Adrian, 5, 82, 111–112, 114, 127, 137
Winche, Rebeckah, 39
witchcraft
female midwives accused of, 4, 112, 143–144, 168–169
infant maladies blamed on, 173, 199
infertility blamed on, 34, 36, 199, See also religious views
Witton, Francis, 10–12, 11
Wolveridge, James, 99
wombs
cleansing treatments for, 38–39
girls and boys held in different parts of, 94–95, 208
images of unborn infants in, 97–98, 98–99
maladies of, 20, 32–33, 35, 37, 42
pregnancy signs felt in, 54–55
premature opening causing miscarriage, 70
prolapse after childbirth, 38, 158See also menstruation.
women
birth attendants (family and friends), 3, 5, 83, 130–131, 206, See also midwives, female
bodily agency in childbirth, 3–4
domestic duties. See women’s domestic duties
genealogical record-keeping by, 10–13, 52–53, 140
generative duties. See women’s generative duties
infertility of, 34–37
menstruation. See menstruation
supposed secret knowledge of, 30–32, 35, 50–51, 54–55, 64
unmarried. See unmarried mothers
‘women’ term, 6, 71See also childbirth; infant care; postnatal recovery; pregnancy.
women’s domestic duties
during pregnancy, 71–72
family care, 18, 38
financial accounting, 61–62, 101–103
generally, 4
women’s generative duties
breastfeeding, 190–192, 200–201
as cultural norm, 2, 5–6
emotional regulation, 17, 34, 70–71, 73–74
listed, 204–205
maternal deaths, eulogistic accounts, 160–164
men’s private views on, 10
miscarriage prevention, 10, 17
personal record-keeping, 51, 59–63, 81, 92–93
as religious imperative, 7, 17–18, 48–49
sexual enthusiasm, 8–9
Woodford, Hannah and Robert, 96, 123, 148, 156–157, 175–176
Woolley, Hannah, 71
Worcester, Mary, marchioness of, 125
Wurtz, Felix, 182
‘yards’ (penises), maladies of, 41, 43–44, See also male infertility
Yonge, James, 153

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  • Index
  • Leah Astbury, University of Bristol
  • Book: Making Babies in Early Modern England
  • Online publication: 12 December 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009602846.010
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  • Index
  • Leah Astbury, University of Bristol
  • Book: Making Babies in Early Modern England
  • Online publication: 12 December 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009602846.010
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  • Index
  • Leah Astbury, University of Bristol
  • Book: Making Babies in Early Modern England
  • Online publication: 12 December 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009602846.010
Available formats
×