Expecting: Birth, Belief and Protection

Film transcript: Inside the medieval birth scroll with Dr Sarah Fiddyment

Wellcome Multimedia and Audiovisual Team, 2025
Film: 4 minutes 59 seconds
Courtesy of Wellcome Collection

Hello, I’m Doctor Sarah Fiddyment, a protein scientist. A protein scientist is someone who studies the structure and function of proteins to understand their role in biological systems.

Although I started my career working in a hospital researching proteins involved in heart health, I was really interested in applying my knowledge to a completely different area of interest, which was history. I decided to move into the emerging field of biocodicology, which studies the biological information stored in manuscripts. Biocodicology is a truly interdisciplinary field that relies on the close collaboration between scientists, conservators and manuscript scholars. By studying these ancient proteins that are left on manuscripts we can discover information about the past and the people that used these objects. It gives us a direct link to people who we might otherwise have never known about, making the distant past relatable to our own.

I was actually approached by Stefania Signorello, a conservator here at the Wellcome collection, about possibly analysing an unusual item in their collection, which turned out to be the birth girdle. Initially we had planned to test the parchment to find out what animal skin had been used to make it, but after further discussion we realised it would make a wonderful case study to see what other proteins could be detected, particularly on the stained areas, to see if we could identify what might have caused them.

There had been speculation in scholarly discourse, and calls from researchers (for example, Lea Olsan, an expert on medieval charms, prayers and rituals) to do this sort of investigation, but nothing had been attempted until now, so we felt this was an opportunity that couldn’t be missed. The main reason we were able to carry out this kind of analysis was because we developed a non-invasive sampling method that could target specific areas without having to take destructive samples.

The sampling method is based on triboelectric extraction, which is very similar to the effect you get when you rub a balloon on your jumper and use it to make your hair stand up! We use a conventional eraser and carefully wipe it over the area of interest on the parchment. The proteins on the surface of the parchment are attracted to the eraser and enrobed in the small fragments of eraser waste generated. We then collect these small eraser fragments in a sterile tube and take it back to our lab for analysis. This sampling technique is ideally suited to these fragile objects as the sampling can be carried out in situ by the conservators in their own conservation studio without having to transport the object to a specialist lab.

Back in our lab we extract all the proteins from the eraser samples and cut them into smaller fragments called peptides, using an enzyme called trypsin (this is a digestive enzyme that we all have in bodies that helps to break down our food). We then analyse the peptides through liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) which allows us to identify what species and tissue type the peptides come from.

What we found was surprising. There were traces of honey, milk, egg and legumes. These food items were used in medieval medicine, both to be consumed and to be applied to the body, and were all ingredients that were used in pregnancy and labour. In addition, we identified a whole suite of human proteins that closely resembled those of cervico-vaginal fluid. This would seem to indicate that the girdle was actively worn by women, most likely during pregnancy and possibly childbirth.

Findings confirmed that MS.632 was used during pregnancy and childbirth. It was probably used during labour, perhaps even wrapped around a woman’s body as she gave birth. This is the first biochemical evidence we have of medieval birth girdles providing us with direct biochemical evidence of its actual physical use, something that until now had not been able to be proven. This opens up the possibility of exploring other types of manuscripts that show evidence of use or staining and can open up a window onto the past that would otherwise remain hidden.

For me, this was a unique opportunity to really test the limits of our technique and see what is possible within the scope of biocodicology. Working on such an unusual object required close collaboration with colleagues from all different disciplines to reveal and interpret what is actually a very relatable human story. Having that tangible link with the past of women going through the same experiences we go through today and being able to find real physical evidence of rituals and remedies that they would use was a truly exciting discovery and hopefully it will lead to many more studies where ancient proteins can shine further light on our past.

Touchscreen interpretation

Elements for touchscreen:

1. “Gyrde thys mesure a bowte hyr wombe”:

This instruction to “gird (wrap) this measure around her womb” was directed to “a woman travailing (labouring) with child”. This is why scrolls like this are sometimes called ‘birth girdles’.

2. Arma Christi image:

This is an image of the arma Christi, the instruments used during Christ’s crucifixion, which included a spear, a sword, a ladder, a knotted whip, a hammer, and dice. It also features an antisemitic caricature of a Jewish man. This reflects common negative stereotypes of Jewish people in medieval Christian society. Texts and images of the arma Christi were very popular in medieval England as a focus for prayer, and as a way to ask for divine assistance.

3. “Thus moche more ys oure lady seynt mary lenger”:

Manuscripts often included measurements of saints and other holy figures as a means to help the reader to feel closer to them and ask for their help. The text here states that “This much more is our lady Saint Mary longer”, referring to the length of the manuscript. If this statement was correct, the Virgin Mary would reach an astonishing height of over three metres (11 feet) tall.

4. Protection from danger:

This red text in Middle English promises protection against a number of dangerous situations in exchange for looking at or carrying the image of the cross below. Protection is offered against wicked spirits, thunder and lightning, battle, drowning, fire, plague or epidemic disease, and childbirth. A similar text appears on the dorse side of this manuscript. ‘Dorse’ is a term used to refer to the reverse side of documents, especially those on single sheets of parchment or paper.

5. Stains:

The torn edges and stained sections are a result of heavy use. Scientific analysis has shown these stains come from honey, egg cereals, milk, and legumes (plants from the pea family), which were all used in medieval medical remedies. Traces of cervico-vaginal fluid (secretions produced by the lower parts of the reproductive system, the cervix and the vagina) were also found.

6. Counting as meditation:

This stylised image of Christ’s side wound, with its cascading blood droplets, sits between two texts about the wounds. The English text gives a specific number of blood droplets (547,500 in total), encouraging the reader to meditate on both text and image, using counting as a devotional and calming technique.

7. Action and activation:

Written in two lines along the length of the roll, this text is similar to one on the face (or front) side of this manuscript. Both promise protection from various dangers. This one instructs the reader to recite a set number of prayers to activate the scroll’s benefits.

8. Illegibility and damage:

The benefits of this scroll were unlocked through physical interaction (wearing or carrying the manuscript, and touching or kissing its images and text), which wore away a lot of the ink, leaving sections completely unreadable. Every time the manuscript is unrolled, more pigment flakes off and there is more risk of damage.

9. Performance and interaction:

This section lists the names of God interspersed with red crosses. Some of the names include: “tetragrammaton” (the four-letter Hebrew name of God, YHWH); “alpha et oo” (alpha and omega, the beginning and the end); “agnus” (the Lamb); and “ego sum” (“I am”). It is followed by the names of other holy figures, like the Magi, archangels (Michael, Gabriel and Raphael), and various saints (Mary, Anne, Katherine, Margaret, Dorothy and Barbara). At each cross, the reader would perform their devotion physically by making the sign of the cross with their hands.

10. The three nails:

This is a depiction of the three nails used during Christ’s crucifixion, a common focus for prayer and meditation in medieval culture. This manuscript has a limited colour palette (red, blue, green and brown), and the brown staining here was originally a colour wash for decorative purposes.

11. Stitching:

Medieval manuscripts were often made from parchment – treated animal skin. This scroll, made from sheepskin, was constructed by sewing together long strips of parchment to create its three-metre length.

12. What’s missing?

Unlike a book, with its protective covers, a scroll is a much more vulnerable format. This roll is likely missing sections from both the beginning and end – these areas would have been the most exposed, and therefore most vulnerable to damage and loss.