Bringing babies into the world

We’ve just had a donation which will bring back memories for lots of Thornbury families.

We’ve been given Nurse Cotton’s midwife’s bag.  Edith Cotton was the District Nurse for Thornbury from 1947 to 1978 and during that time is said to have delivered around 1,800 local babies!  

Edith was Matron at Hambrook Maternity Hospital before moving to Thornbury.  She and her husband Eric and daughter Suzanne lived at 58 High Street in Thornbury.  It is Suzanne who has very kindly donated her mother’s midwifery bag to the museum.

In February next year, we’ll be putting on a ‘Hatches, Matches and Dispatches’ exhibition, focusing on births, marriages and deaths as they are reflected in the museum’s collection.  Nurse Cotton’s bag and the story of her work in Thornbury will feature prominently.  The hundreds of babies she delivered will be aged 36 and upwards now but we know many people still have fond memories of their District Nurse.

Were you delivered by her? Let us know if you have memories or stories of Nurse Cotton.