Convicts, colonists, and accidental midwives

From the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, convict women would continue to be transported to Australia for another 50 years. The practice of convict women assisting birthing women during the voyage continued on subsequent convict voyages. Mrs Barnsley, who following a conviction of shoplifting was transported to Australia on The Lady Juliana in 1790, acted as midwife on that voyage to assist fellow convicts during their births, and continued practising following her arrival in the colony.

Consequently, the first non-Indigenous midwives in Australia were untrained convict women; they came on the ships bringing the prisoners to Australia and can be described as ‘accidental midwives’; assistance in childbirth came from whomever was available at the time. The expertise of the ‘accidental midwives’ in midwifery is unknown, but there was no other option for women but for friends, relatives and neighbours to help each other during birth, thus they became midwives through need rather than vocation. Historian and midwife Lesley Potter identifies these women as the first three types of midwife found in Colonial Sydney.

Sydney, 1802, with visiting ships anchored in the harbour, houses with chimneys and fences, and a simple system of streets. The long white building is the hospital.

George Evans Sydney from the west side of the cove 1802
SydneyLiving Museums (Hyde Park Barracks)

1800 Three unnamed midwives are noted in the General Muster of 1800: two in Sydney and one in Paramatta.

1806 Three unnamed midwives are again mentioned in the Governor’s despatches of 1806, one convict, and two ex-convict.

1812 Free settler Jane Sims was appointed midwife at the colony’s General Hospital in 1812-1814.

1814 Convict Phoebe Norton was first listed as a midwife in the Paramatta census of 1814.

Ann Reynolds, nee Willis, arrived in Australia onboard the Mary Ann in 1791, and would be one of the 3 unnamed midwives noted in the General Muster of 1800. In March 1814 she attended the birth of Lachlan Macquarie, son to Elizabeth, with Dr Redfern.

Parramatta Female Factory

1833 Colonial Times, Hobart

To the Public. Mrs Wrathall, wife of Mr. Wrathall, butcher, Liverpool St., begs to inform her friends and the public, that she intends waiting upon ladies, as a monthly nurse, during their confinement, and hopes, by the experience she has had (being the mother of a large family), that she will meet with encouragement.

1839 Arrival of Sisters of Charity from Ireland to Sydney

1847 The Inquirer, 7 July, WA

Mrs Studsor begs to notify to her friends and the public, that she intends to undertake the duties of a monthly Nurse; and having high testimonials of competency from the faculty, she confidently hopes to meet a share of public patronage. N.B. has no objection to the country.

Burrows, p.113

Profiles

We welcome the descendants of any of our profiled midwives to contact us to collaborate on how their ancestor is described or depicted, and how to best tell their unique midwifery story. We also welcome new stories.