In this episode, we’re stepping into the birthing chambers, parish homes, and crowded streets of Tudor England to meet a group of women who were absolutely essential to their communities and yet often left out of the historical record: midwives.

For centuries, birth was women’s work; overseen, supported, and guided by other women. And at the center of that world stood the midwife. She was healer, witness, community authority. She carried knowledge passed down not through universities or textbooks, but through experience, memory, and trust.

And yet, like so many women whose power existed outside formal institutions, midwives have often been misunderstood, minimized, or erased.

Today, I’m joined by Brigitte Barnard, an author, historian, and midwife whose work brings these women back into focus. Brigitte is the author of a Tudor-era historical novel series that imagines the lives of women navigating birth, belief, and survival in Tudor England. Brigitte also shares details about her upcoming non-fiction work, which takes us even deeper into the historical realities of childbirth. Separating myth from evidence and restoring midwives to their rightful place in the story.

In our conversation, we talk about what it actually meant to be a midwife in Tudor England: the authority these women held, the dangers they faced, and why childbirth was never just a dangerous or private moment. Birth was communal. It was political. And it was deeply entangled with questions of power and control over women’s bodies.

Disclaimer: Topics covered in this episode may not be suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.