New display: 24 October 2025 to 19 April 2026
Expecting: Birth, Belief and Protection
A rare 500-year-old English parchment birth scroll is to be shown in the UK for the first time this autumn, following recent pioneering protein analysis that confirmed its use during pregnancy and childbirth. The medieval scroll is central to ‘Expecting: Birth, Belief and Protection’, a new display at Wellcome Collection that connects protective practices and beliefs relating to medieval childbirth with contemporary responses to maternal health, parenthood, infertility and pregnancy loss.
Scientists identified cervico-vaginal fluid as well as honey, cereals, sheep or goat milk and green beans – food known to have been used in medieval birth rituals – on the scroll using a new, non-invasive technique that allowed it to be analysed without causing damage.
Christian prayers and religious illustrations cover its entire 3-metre length, which was worn around women’s bodies to keep themselves and babies safe during childbirth. In some areas the writing and illustrations have worn away through bodily contact.
In England, churches and monasteries often loaned the scrolls to people. Many were destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536–1541) – the forced closure of abbeys, convents, and friaries by King Henry VIII to gain control of their wealth and land – and their use forbidden. The displayed scroll may have been used clandestinely after this period.
Although known today as birth scrolls, these parchments also served as protective objects, expressions of care and faith in the hope for safe outcomes in other uncertain and dangerous times, such as in battle, long journeys and plague. They also provided predictions and blessings for the future.
Across centuries, geographies and cultures the display spotlights non-medical strategies to manage fear and pain, as well as establish hope and resilience in childbirth and grief.
Prayers offered before or during pregnancy and labour were, and still are, part of many cultural and spiritual practices. Similar protective scrolls continue to be used in Ethiopia today and three 18th–19th century examples are displayed featuring blessings for love, fertility and pregnancy. These scrolls were acquired by the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum at auctions in the early 20th century.
The scrolls' use of text and illustrations to protect against the difficulties of childbirth can also be compared to modern, secular and non-medical approaches to managing labour surges, such as the positive affirmations and visualisations of hypnobirthing.
Contemporary artists Seyni Awa Camara (b.1945, Senegal) and Tabitha Moses (b.1971, UK) reference their own experiences of loss, infertility and parenthood in works shaped by therapeutic and spiritual art practices.
Tabitha Moses embraced the support of both medical science and alternative therapies such as acupuncture and hypnotherapy during her journey to motherhood. She also lit a candle daily at a makeshift shrine of a Ghanaian fertility figurine and a Christmas nativity set baby Jesus. These varied approaches exemplify how we might hedge our bets in times of need, placing trust in spiritual belief structures as well as modern science.
Moses has made several artworks charting her fertility journey including the series ‘Investment’ (2014) which tells her own story and those of two other women. Part of the series features in the display – a delicately hand-embroidered hospital gown depicting the paraphernalia of IVF treatment and the eggs of successful and unsuccessful cycles. Moses stitched the gown for Melanie, a fellow fertility patient who wears it in an accompanying photographic portrait.
Deeply embedded in her Senegalese Wolof heritage, Seyni Awa Camara's unglazed clay sculptures are populated by children, animals and parents. The two large-scale works shown, ‘Untitled’ (2014) and ‘Untitled’ (2025), bear the traces of firing in an open-hearth kiln in her yard in Senegal – a reminder of how the memory of pregnancy and loss is held in the body. Camara’s work embodies her own healing after multiple miscarriages and medical complications. Her work also celebrates her role as a stepmother and offers protection to others.
Cindy Sissokho, Curator at Wellcome Collection, said:
“Parchment scrolls, amulets and charms have been used since the prehistoric era as forms of personal and collective protection. This display offers a rare opportunity to get close to a medieval birth scroll – only a handful survive – and to directly connect with the beliefs and experiences of people whose own testimonies of birth are scarce.”
‘Expecting: Birth, Belief and Protection’ is the third in a series of small displays that spotlight a particular object or group of objects from Wellcome Collection, enabling a deep dive into its stories and relevance to health and human experience.
The display is curated by Cindy Sissokho, Curator, Wellcome Collection with Elma Brenner, Research Development Lead, Wellcome Collection and Kierri Price, Independent Researcher and former CHASE-funded Collaborative Doctoral Award student, Wellcome Collection.
Media information
For further information and image requests, contact:
Visitor information
‘Expecting: Birth, Belief and Protection’ runs from 24 October 2025 to 19 April 2026.
Admission is free.
Opening hours
Tuesday to Sunday: 10:00 – 18:00
Thursday: 10:00 – 20:00
Monday: closed
Address: Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE
Access information
- Step-free access is available to all floors of the building.
- Large-print guides and magnifiers are available in the gallery.
- Ear defenders, tinted glasses and weighted lap pads are available on request.
- All exhibition texts are accessible in screen readable formats via QR codes.
- A Visual Story is available to help people plan and prepare ahead of visiting.
- Due to the fragile nature of the objects displayed, the gallery features low lighting and the doors to the gallery will remain closed throughout.
- A BSL video guide to the exhibition will be available on our website – wellcomecollection.org.
- Accessible tours will be available in venue and bookable online.
BSL Tours
Join a BSL interpreted tour with a member of our Visitor Experience & Engagement Team. They will guide you around the display, exploring its themes and offering a personal perspective on artworks and objects.
Sat, 29 Nov: 11:30 – 12:30
Thu, 22 Jan: 19:00 – 20:00
Thu, 12 Feb: 19:00 – 20:00
Sun, 15 Mar: 14:30 – 15:30
Sat, 11 Apr: 11:30 – 12:30
Lights Up + Audio Described Tours
Explore the display with more even lighting conditions. Audio and BSL digital guides will be available, and staff will be on hand for additional support.
Thu, 4 Dec: 16:00 – 20:00
Sat, 17 Jan: 10:00 – 14:00
Thu, 26 Feb: 16:00 – 20:00
Sun, 12 Apr: 10:00 – 14:00
Notes to editors
About Wellcome Collection
Wellcome Collection is a free museum and library. We believe everyone’s experience of health matters. Through our collections, exhibitions and events, in books and online, we explore the past, present and future of health.
You can find us near Euston station in London and at wellcomecollection.org. Our exhibitions and events are always free. You can use our library and view items from our collections free of charge too – you may just need to book in advance.
Wellcome Collection opened in 2007. We care for many thousands of items relating to health, medicine and human experience, including rare books, artworks, films and videos, personal archives, and objects. We’re part of Wellcome, a charitable foundation supporting science to help build a healthier future for everyone.
wellcomecollection.org
wellcome.org
Social media
Instagram: @wellcomecollection
Facebook: @wellcomecollection
TikTok: @wellcomecollection