Midwifery records

The Midwives Act 1902 (England and Wales) enabled the state enrolment of midwives and established the Central Midwives Board (CMB) for England and Wales. The Midwives Institute, established in the 1880s and known from 1941 as the Royal College of Midwives, played a crucial role in the application of the act. Practising midwives were given until 1910 to enrol with the CMB. A Midwives Act was not passed in Scotland until 1915, but valuable lessons had been learned by then from the experience of the CMB for England and Wales, in setting up the CMB for Scotland.

The CMB was responsible for producing the Roll of Midwives, an annual list of qualified midwives, indicating which were practising. In each country, the CMB operated independently from the General Nursing Councils (GNC) or from any nursing infrastructutre although many midwives were also qualified nurses. It wasn't until 1983 when the UK Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting replaced the GNC that the records were brought together.

• The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has transferred their records of midwifery certification and membership to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG). These can be accessed by contacting the RCOG library.
• The CMB England and Wales Roll of Midwives, 1902-83 is held at the National Archives at Kew.
• The RCN Archives holds copies of the CMB Scotland Roll of Midwives, 1917-68; CMB England and Wales Roll of Midwives, 1981-84; and the JNMC Northern Ireland Roll of Midwives for 1959 only.
• The CMB Ireland Roll and Register of Midwives, 1919-85, and Registers of Pupil and First Certified Midwives, 1938-83 are held at University College Dublin Archives.

The Obstetrical Society of London also trained midwives. The Royal Society of Medicine now holds the records of the Society, 1858-1907 although they hold no register of qualified midwives.

More information

For more information about the history of midwifery please contact the RCM archivist at the RCOG library. You can also read:

• 'Behind the Blue Door: The History of the Royal College of Midwives 1881-1981' Cowell, B. and Wainwright, D., Balliere Tindall, London 1981.
• 'Midwifery in Scotland: A History' Reid, L., Scottish History Press, Irvine 2011.
• 'The Midwife's Tale: An oral history from handywoman to professional midwife' Leap, N. and Hunter, B., Scarlet Press, London 1993.