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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Lancashire => Topic started by: doddsie4 on Saturday 14 July 18 11:57 BST (UK)
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My G/grandmother was a Qualified midwife. She was born Edith Rachel Wilson in 1874, married a Holmes and then lived mainly in Manchester till she died in 1949. I have attached photos of her in a cape and a coat, which was apparently the midwives uniform. I am wondering if the uniform was always the same design or could the date of these photos be traced by the design of the strange looking uniform. If she wore this in Glasgow in her young days, I can imagine her getting "second looks" quite a lot, and maybe a few wisecracks as well. Anyone know if this was the normal uniforn, and does anyone have a rough idea when they might have been taken?
The photo has a window in the background advertising Spirella Corsets. Don't suppose anyone from Manchester knows if Spirella had a place like that... anyone know where this place was? I am pretty sure it would be Manchester, but there is an outside chance that it could be Glasgow.
A second, more serious question ... when Edith Rachel died in Manchester, my grandmother had her body brought up from Manchester to be buried in the family grave up here. Curious as to how this was arranged. How would the coffin & body be transported - by train perhaps. And then what when it arrived at Central station. What then?
Brian
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She could have been driven by car from the train if the body did get there by train. There would have been hearses in 1949. There would have been motor hearses and horse drawn hearses.
My husband had a gt gt etc grandfather died about 50 miles from where he lived and he was buried 3/4 days later at his local church the body having been taken the 50 miles in the 1780s. He became ill working away from home.
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My grandmother, her brother and Edith Rachel Holmes all lived in the same large Manchester house at Longsight and the brother had a Riley car, and he would come up to Scotland on regular visits. Was it legal for a coffin to be placed into a car and driven all that distance? I am thinking this might have been what happened, now that you mention cars.
I had a ride in that car once or twice. I can still smell the leather from the seats as though it was just yesterday. They don't make cars like that any more.
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A hearse may have gone from Manchester to Glasgow to deliver to a local undertaker or the Glasgow undertaker went to fetch the body. There may have been legal requirements but I'm sure the undertakers would have known what to do.
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It's a bit difficult to see her uniform but it appears to be a high-necked blouse/dress with an apron over it.
When I was a trainee nurse we wore similar uniforms - a white slub frock with a starched white apron (with bib and skirt), and a starched white collar and starched white belt, plus white stockings and shoes. Plus a white cap - more starch!
Nurses' actual uniform designs depended on which hospital one worked at.
Once graduated, we were still expected to wear white uniforms (this is back in the 1950s).
I went to work in a country hospital in Queensland after I graduated, and the matron had me 'on the mat' when I wore a lemon coloured uniform to work. "We wear only white uniforms in this hospital, Sister!"
If your GGM wasn't attached to a particular hospital, she had more leeway in what she wore, but it would have been pretty standard. And recognisable as a local nurse, so rather than getting 'sideways glances' it probably gained her a modicum of respect.
Do you think the headgear is part of the uniform? Or is it just something to help keep her warm?
Looks like some sort of bonnet under it. Bonnets / caps would have been the norm in those days.
Dawn M
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My grandfather was born 1863 in Glasgow and worked for Scotland's Caledonian Railway then was sent down to Manchester depot when Caledonian merged with an English railway.
His uncle was born in Tollcross near Old Monkland/Glasgow, Lanarkshire and died in New Cumnock Ayrshire in 1880. I have a newspaper account of how his body was given a send off from New Cumnock, Ayrshire by train, the coffin being conveyed to that station by hearse, with the destination being the churchyard of Tollcross village, Lanarkshire, where he grew up. The coffin was met by a horse drawn hearse and conveyed to the churchyard.
I suspect your nurse's final journey was by train. Probably carried in the rear goods wagon being looked after by the usual uniformed guard whose job it was to ride with the train and oversee everything that was being transported.
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The photo has a window in the background advertising Spirella Corsets. Don't suppose anyone from Manchester knows if Spirella had a place like that... anyone know where this place was? I am pretty sure it would be Manchester, but there is an outside chance that it could be Glasgow.
“There is a trained Spirella Corsetiere resident in every town and district, ready to call at your convenience. She will measure and fit you in the privacy of your own home”
http://www.corsetiere.net/Spirella/Corsetiere/Spirella_bthistory.htm
Stan
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“There is a trained Spirella Corsetiere resident in every town and district, ready to call at your convenience. She will measure and fit you in the privacy of your own home”
My mum was a qualified corsetiere, she had quite a long training and took exams and was very "sniffy" about the so called Spirella Corsetieres.
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Dawn M,
It is mainly the what she is wearing on her head that puzzles me. I doubt if that long cape was meant to be wrapped around her neck on cold days to keep out the cold - but I can't see what else it could be used for. I would guess the vast majority of folk WOULD highly respect her... but you know, there are always a few.....
An ancestor of mine, who was a doctor in Manchester away back in the late 1800's, used ride a horse on his rounds, going out visiting pregnant women in their homes, often in the middle of the night. He used to deliver babies. Some of the births were very difficult with the woman in great pain, and the delivery taking hours and hours. ...Sometimes he had to use forceps for these very difficult births, and he had a reputation for being quite skilled at it too. Gulp - Better him than me!
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My mother used to wear the Spirella corset when I was a wee boy... I am 75 now, so it is a long time ago. I think they gradually died out. I seem to remember asking her why she wasn't wearing her "harness" any more. She retorted: "I am not a horse!"
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Took the tour of the Central recently, coffin storage facliities down in the basement. The tour is excellent, book online!
Waiting for a train at Invergordon one night & sat on a long hessian-covered box, the station clerk told me it was a coffin but I was OK as the occupant, who was also waiting for the train, wouldn't mind! ;D
Skoosh.
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Perhaps the veil was dual-purpose, used to wrap a baby in if there was nothing else available. ;D(Recalling an episode of "Call the Midwife" when the midwife played by Miranda Hart was surprised by the birth of triplets to a very poor young mother and wrapped babies 2 and 3 in her own clothes. The stories are based on real incidents.)
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With regard to the head wear. It's similar to the one worn in 1941 by this nurse:-
url link
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01mcv/
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With regard to the head wear. It's similar to the one worn in 1941 by this nurse:-
url link
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01mcv/
Coincidently the middle man in photo was Mayor of Poplar. "Call the Midwife" is set in Poplar.
Veil of the Sister in 1941 pic looks shorter and made of thin material.
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Nanny Jan has posted a photograph of a midwife ancestor late 19thC. Alice Lance, midwife from Camberwell, Surrey.
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With regard to the head wear. It's similar to the one worn in 1941 by this nurse:-
url link
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01mcv/
Coincidently the middle man in photo was Mayor of Poplar. "Call the Midwife" is set in Poplar.
Veil of the Sister in 1941 pic looks shorter and made of thin material.
Material was rationed due to World War Two, which could account for the difference. For instance, excepting for socks and hand knitted cardigans, all my clothes during the war were secondhand - even my knickers were cut down from grandma's bloomers!
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The stories are based on real incidents.)
The first series were based on real incidents from the books of Jennifer Worth, but she only wrote 3 books and the later series are purely fictional written especially for television by other people.