Mothers and Children

28-30 August 1700   On Monday-evening last, a Woman came into a Milliner’s Shop, kept by 2 Maiden-women, at the corner of Bride’s-Alley, near Grey-hound Tavern in Fleet-street, with a young Child, of about 2 Months Old, in her Arms, and bargained for a Sarsnet-hood; but putting her Hand into her Bosome, pretended to be in a great Consternation in missing her Money; and alledged, that she must have left it at a Baker’s where she had been to buy some Biskets, so desired the 2 Young Gentlewomen to take care of the Child till she ran to see for her Money, which they innocently undertook, but have not seen the Mother since, so that they have been oblig’d to put it out to Nurse hitherto, though they indeavour to put it on the Parish. [The London Post]

8-10 January 1701   Yesterday about 20 Vagrant Boys and Girls were taken up by the Beadles of the Wards, and brought to Guild-Hall, where after a Surgeon had examined each of them apart, to see if they had the Itch, they were carried in before a Committee of the Court of Aldermen, and by them sent to the Work-house, in Bishopsgate-Street where upon their arrival, they were immediately Stript and Washt clean, adn afterwards new Cloathed, and taken Care of; and I hear that about 60 have been taken up and provided for, since the Holidays. [The London Post]

3 January 1730   We hear from Atterbury in oxfordshire, that a woman was brought to bed of four sons and two daughters, who were all christen’d in the Church, on Christmas Eve, and are all like to live. [Weekly Journal, or The British Gazetteer]

28 January 1731   Yesterday morning . . . about 3 o’clock, a woman of distinction fell in labour at the Masquerade, and was carried home in her habit, and delivered of a son in 2 hours after. – A son born, would have been something stranger than one gotten, in Masquerade. [Grub-street Journal]