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Expecting: Birth, Belief and Protection

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Now on
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Visitors looking at scrolls, housed in glass display cases.
Expecting: Birth, Belief and Protection. Gallery Photo: Steven Pocock, Wellcome Collection. 2025. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).

‘Expecting: Birth, Belief and Protection’ is a new display that explores the protective practices and beliefs around pregnancy, childbirth and infertility that existed in medieval times and continue through to today. The medieval period in Europe lasted from about 500 to 1500 CE.

At the heart of the display is a parchment scroll (MS.632) produced in England around 1500 CE. Christian prayers and religious illustrations cover the parchment’s entire 3-metre length, which could be wrapped around the body for protection during childbirth and at other moments of danger.

Only a handful of birth scrolls survive today, and the display is a rare opportunity to see this fragile object from our collections. In some parts of the scroll, the writing and illustrations have worn away through bodily contact, and other areas are stained. A video in the display features an interview with Dr Sarah Fiddyment, the protein scientist who analysed the scroll and confirmed that it was actively used during childbirth.

'Expecting' focuses on non-medical strategies to manage fear and pain, and to foster hope and resilience in childbirth and loss. Prayers offered before or during pregnancy and labour were, and still are, part of many cultural and spiritual traditions.

Alongside the medieval scroll are other historical works from our collections, including three 18th-19th century Ethiopian manuscripts that feature blessings for love, fertility and pregnancy.

We know that at least one of the Ethiopian manuscripts in the display was taken from Maqdala by the British Forces in 1868. Wellcome Historical Medical Museum acquired them at auction in London between 1915 and 1924. Wellcome Collection is committed to further discussions around the future of these manuscripts as part of our work to examine the roots of our collections.

Together, the historical manuscripts and contemporary works speak to enduring traditions of care and belief in the protective power of sacred images, words and art.

This display has low light levels. The gallery door will remain closed to maintain environmental conditions. Please ask gallery staff if you need assistance.

This display includes references to childbirth, fertility and fertility treatments, reproduction, child loss, medical trauma, grief, death, faith and spirituality.

Listen to an audio description of the medieval birth scroll.

In pictures

A visitor pushing a button and looking at a scroll, housed in glass display cases.
Expecting: Birth, Belief and Protection. Gallery Photo: Steven Pocock, Wellcome Collection. 2025. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
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The medieval birth scroll is 3m long and made from parchment, a form of dried animal skin. It features Christian religious images and texts in both Latin and English. The content of the scroll offers protection in dangerous situations, such as childbirth, but also in battle, storms and plague. A user could read or recite the texts, look at or touch the images, and carry or wear the scroll to gain its benefits. During labour, the scroll could be wrapped around the body as a girdle or belt. We can see that it has been used from the staining and wear visible on the fragile manuscript.

A gallery visitor using and interactive screen, in the background another visitor is holding a facsimile of a birthing scroll.
Expecting: Birth, Belief and Protection. Gallery Photo: Steven Pocock, Wellcome Collection. 2025. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
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There is an interactive touchscreen in the display which lets you explore the scroll. Use the touchscreen to explore key symbols, figures and stains on the parchment in more detail. A full-length facsimile of the scroll is also available, showing the size and content from both sides of the original scroll. The facsimile is not made of parchment or animal skin.

A tv screen showing a subtitled video of a woman talking and a page from a manuscript. Below which are headphones and written transcript.
Expecting: Birth, Belief and Protection. Gallery Photo: Steven Pocock, Wellcome Collection. 2025. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
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Traces of food and plants were found on the medieval birth scroll. This was confirmed through a scientific study of biological traces left on its surface. The scientific analysis also revealed that the scroll was used during pregnancy and childbirth. A film in the display features protein scientist Dr Sarah Fiddyment, talking about her research on the scroll.

A manuscript in a display case, housed with supports. A line drawn illustration is visible on the open page.
Expecting: Birth, Belief and Protection. Gallery Photo: Steven Pocock, Wellcome Collection. 2025. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
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This 15th-century manuscript contains a collection of medical recipes, compiled in Worcestershire, England. The recipes treat a wide range of ailments, from fever and gout to dog bites, delirium and a woman’s sore breasts. The left-hand page includes a drawing of a swaddled infant in a rocking cradle. This provides an insight into how babies were cared for soon after birth.

A photograph of an oil painting of a birth, viewed behind glass and with an orange background.
Expecting: Birth, Belief and Protection. Gallery Photo: Steven Pocock, Wellcome Collection. 2025. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
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An Italian painting from the 15th or 16th centuries captures a tender moment shortly after the birth of a baby. The scene depicts a mother surrounded by attendants in a wealthy home. The painting shows a deeply communal experience where each person has a distinct role in supporting the mother. The interaction between a horoscope reader and a nun highlights the use of both astrological and religious guidance around childbirth.

A manuscript in a display case, housed with supports. A line drawn illustration is visible on the open page.
Expecting: Birth, Belief and Protection. Gallery Photo: Steven Pocock, Wellcome Collection. 2025. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
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This 16th-century advice manual on pregnancy and childbirth was first published in German. The page shows a birthing chair, a piece of furniture that enabled a more active position for giving birth than lying on a bed. The illustrations below it reveal how people at the time visualised the foetus. One image shows the foetus in the breech position, in which the baby is lying with its bottom or feet downwards, which can create complications during delivery.

A collection of Ethiopian artefacts including scrolls and manuscripts displayed in a glass case.
Expecting: Birth, Belief and Protection. Gallery Photo: Steven Pocock, Wellcome Collection. 2025. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
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These 19th-century Ethiopian scrolls contain tales, prayers and images believed to offer physical and mental cures to the carrier. They feature a range of blessings, including those for love, fertility and pregnancy, and against menstrual-related illnesses and vaginal haemorrhage, which could lead to child loss. The scrolls were created as protective and healing objects and used across the multiple faiths practised in Ethiopia. Similar objects are still used, demonstrating enduring traditions of care, protection and belief in the power of sacred images and words.

A gown featuring embroidery illustrations, being displayed next to a photograph of a woman wearing the gown.
Expecting: Birth, Belief and Protection. Gallery Photo: Steven Pocock, Wellcome Collection. 2025. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
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In her practice, artist Tabitha Moses explores her personal experience of undergoing multiple in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatments. In these works, the artist tells Melanie’s story, and Melanie shares her own experience of fertility treatment. Through photography and detailed embroidery, Moses captures the symbolic stages of IVF, representing the emotional and physical journey involved in the process.

A gallery visitor looking at a tall clay scuplture of a woman, decorated with depictions of hands.
Expecting: Birth, Belief and Protection. Gallery Photo: Steven Pocock, Wellcome Collection. 2025. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
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Contemporary artist Seyni Awa Camara’s work is rooted in her experience of multiple failed pregnancies and miscarriages, followed by medical complications. Deeply embedded in her Senegalese Wolof heritage, Camara’s practice centres on motherhood as both an intimate and symbolic role. Her unglazed sculptures, built with clay from the belly of the Earth, are populated by children, animals and parents. Her work reflects the cyclical nature of life and death, anchoring her experiences in ancient spiritual traditions.

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Gallery 3, level 1

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British Sign Language videos are available

Access resources include a visual story, large print guides and audio description

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