With sky-high levels of maternal mortality, the science of obstetrics virtually nonexistent and the threat of infectious diseases always approaching, pregnant medieval women have put their faith in talismans to bring them divine protection during childbirth.
From amulets to precious stones, the list of items the church lent to pregnant women was substantial, but the most popular lucky charm was a “birth belt”.
Now, the researchers claim to have definitive evidence that these straps were not only revered in pregnancy – they were also used during childbirth.
One of these items in the Wellcome collection, made of four strips of sheepskin parchment sewn and dating from the late medival period – late 15th or early 16th century – was analyzed by researchers. The parchment, embellished with various symbols of the deity, including a crucifix, showed signs of wear, suggesting that it had been touched, rubbed or kissed as part of religious veneration.
Using a non-invasive technique developed in conjunction with conservationists a few years ago, the researchers used rubbers to gently clean the surface of the parchment and collect the crumbs that would normally be blown, said lead author Sarah Fiddyment of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at the University from Cambridge.
The technique was previously used to identify animal species in search of collagen, the most abundant protein found in the skin, but until now it has never been applied to a parchment document to examine other proteins, she said.
“I think that, on one level, we think there would be blood and, on another level, we think there could be rat poop,” said author Natalie Goodison, from the University of Durham.
Instead, the researchers found evidence of cervicovaginal fluid, as well as honey, milk, eggs, legumes – broad beans and possibly peas – as well as cereals, they wrote in the Royal Society Open Science.
Scholars and historical texts have long suggested that these straps were used by pregnant women and that herbal remedies were used during childbirth, Fiddyment noted. “[But], we won’t really know, unless someone goes to a lab, analyzes it and tells us. So this is what we are effectively doing, ”she said.
Childbirth was dangerous in medieval Europe. Although only nine out of 100,000 women died in childbirth in England in 2013, this was thought to be the leading cause of death for women in the early Middle Ages in England (late 5th to 11th century).
The latest analysis cemented the idea that women actively invoked ritual and religion, bordering on magic, to calm nerves during childbirth, although at that time they were banned by Christian reformers.
With the beginning of the Reformation, some Christians moved away from the Catholic tradition of worshiping the saints and endorsing superstition, said Goodison. “So, it also represents a moment in history when … the authorities started to ban the use of birth belts, but they were very much in demand.”