Pershore Ladies Guild

AT our meeting in September we were taken back to the time of The Nurse/Midwife Roll prior to the NHS. by our speaker Margaret Cooper. In the bygone days most villages and towns would have the local “nurse” who would be able to deliver babies and “Lay out “ bodies, they were all self taught and used herbal remedies. In the 16th century the nurses had to be licensed. There were 3 licensed in Worcestershire. Margaret decided to research our more local area and found that in the 1860’s a Nurse/midwife Association was started in Hanbury and other areas followed later. The aim of the Association was to get enough money to fund a nurse with equipment and in later years housing for the nurse. A salary in 1939 was recorded as £179 and the Nurses would have to work at any time of day or night. Today our new Mum’s have their baby and leave hospital within 24hrs and are out and about immediately, but in the past mothers were in bed for 3weeks and babies didn't go outside until they were “Churched”. This could lead to a heavy workload for the Nurse/Midwife.