English Birth Girdles Devotions for Women in “Travell of Childe”
English Birth Girdles: Devotions for Women in “Travell of Childe” by Mary Morse, published by Medieval Institute Publications in 2024, is a comprehensive exploration of medieval childbirth practices in England. This 479-page edition delves into the significance of birth girdles, which women in labor used to protect themselves and their unborn children. These artifacts, resembling the “girdle relics” associated with the Virgin Mary and other saints, served as cultural symbols of devotion and provided comfort during a time marked by religious and political turmoil.
Readers will find an examination of nine English birth girdles created between the reigns of Richard II and Henry VIII, highlighting their role as cultural artifacts within the birthing chamber. The book presents both texts and images, offering insights into how these girdles provided solace and faith to women and their attendants amidst the challenges of the era, including epidemics and the advent of print. Through this detailed study, Morse sheds light on the intersection of gender, devotion, and childbirth in medieval society.
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In medieval England, women in labor wrapped birth girdles around their abdomens to protect themselves and their unborn children. These parchment or paper rolls replicated the “girdle relics” of the Virgin Mary and other saints loaned to queens and noblewomen, extending childbirth protection to women of all classes. This book examines the texts and images of nine English birth girdles produced between the reigns of Richard II and Henry VIII. Cultural artifacts of lay devotion within the birthing chamber, the birth girdles offered the solace and promise of faith to the parturient woman and her attendants amid religious dissent, political upheaval, recurring epidemics, and the onset of print.
Mary Morse specializes in medieval women’s devotional and childbirth practices. She is Professor Emerita of English and past director of the Gender and Sexuality Studies program at Rider University.
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