Nucleus workshop to explore Caithness midwifery history
The history of midwifery in Caithness is to be explored at an event in Wick.
It will include a talk and question-and-answer session about an 18th/19th-century Caithness midwife and the records she left behind.
Midwifery and Nursing History in Caithness takes place at Nucleus: The Nuclear and Caithness Archives on Tuesday, June 17, from 1.30pm to 3.30pm. It is a collaborative workshop by Nucleus and Edinburgh Napier University.
The project began when the Caithness Archive was approached by Nicola Ring and Nessa McHugh from Edinburgh Napier University. They were looking for more information about Christian Couper, a prominent 18th and 19th-century midwife in Caithness who had trained in Edinburgh.
She was brought to their attention at a similar workshop run at the National Library of Scotland last year. The Caithness Archive team and the Highland Archive Service’s family historian, Anne Fraser, then began searching their collections for more information.
There are instances of Christian’s first name being spelt as Christina and her surname as Cowper.
Caithness archivist Jamie McCaffrey explained: “The event will start with a talk about Christian both from a Caithness perspective and in a wider national and international context.
“We’ll explore Christian’s family history and analyse her midwife book which records details of infants she delivered, and the insight this gives us into the training, work and experiences of midwives in the 18th and 19th centuries across Caithness and Scotland. There will be a Q&A after the talk.
“The second half of the event will be more hands-on with records, photographs and objects relating to nursing and midwifery on display to spark conversation. There will be a chance for those attending to find out more about researching midwives and nurses in their family tree.
“Everyone attending is invited to bring along their own records, photographs and keepsakes to share with the group. This can relate to midwifery or nursing from any time in the past.
“The event will help enrich our knowledge of nursing and midwifery in the past, both within Caithness and more widely across Scotland. Moreover, it is a great opportunity for us to connect with people locally that have memories, records and photographs connected with these important vocations.
“We’ll also be visiting the Laurandy daycare centre in the morning before the workshop to hold a reminiscence session.”
Anyone wishing to book a space on the workshop can do so by emailing north.highlandarchive@highlifehighland.com or by contacting the Nucleus Facebook page.
Jamie added: “With local midwifery provision and access to reproductive health facilities being such a relevant subject for Caithness at the moment, it feels important that we look back, as well as forward, to best evidence and celebrate these vital roles and people.”
Reports and photos can be emailed to editor@nosn.co.uk
