I have to do a lot of research to write novels set in England in the early 19th century. Some books have been more difficult to research than others (The most challenging: The Apothecary’s Daughter. The most fun: The Maid of Fairbourne Hall.) But after thirteen novels, there is still one historical tidbit in a novel of mine that stirs more discussion and raises more questions than any other.
“That can’t really be true. Did you make that up?”
Nope. It’s true.
I was reminded of this strange “fact from the past” again tonight, when I visited with the wonderful Radiant Book Club in Georgia via phone chat. (Thanks, ladies!) The members had read my very first published novel, Lady of Milkweed Manor, which is still available, thank the Lord, and still popular with book clubs.
Here’s a brief description: Charlotte Lamb, a fallen vicar’s daughter, finds herself with child. She hopes to secret herself away in one of London’s foundling homes, dubbed “Milkweed Manor.” But she soon finds herself in a mortifying position she could never have imagined: serving as a wet-nurse for the child of a former suitor and his wife, a man whom her father long ago rejected as unsuitable, and who now hides secrets of his own….
I found researching the wet-nursing profession fascinating. It seems so foreign to us now, but it was very common in the seventeen- and eighteen-hundreds for infants to be sent away to be nursed, or for wet nurses to be brought into one’s own home. Jane Austen herself was sent to live with (and be nursed by) a woman in the country for most of the first two years of her life!
There were several lying-in hospitals and a foundling ward in London in the early 1800s, and researching these institutions led me to several surprising facts, like “the turn,” a revolving receptacle something like a lazy susan on the outside of a foundling hospital, that would allow a mother to give up her baby in secret, the shelf being “turned” to deliver the baby inside the building without her having to show herself.
But the most shocking of all was this….
In the 18th and 19th century, many children were born with syphilis (caught from their mothers). The disease was contagious, so no one would nurse those babies. This was before effective baby bottles or formula existed, so many of these poor children starved.
But then resourceful nuns and some physicians began using goats to directly nurse babies with syphilis. They would bring the goats into the ward and help position the babies beneath them. The goats would even remember which charges were hers, returning to the same babies the next time, even if the cribs were moved. Some may find this distasteful, but I found it compassionate and fascinating, and hopefully you do as well. Here is an historical image from an early research book I found, in case you need more convincing!
If you’re intrigued, I invite you to read Lady of Milkweed Manor for yourself. And now, what surprising fact have you come across in a work of fiction? And if you’re an author, what have readers most commented on?
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What a fascinating bit of history. I had never heard of it, but it makes sense. So inventive and I agree with you, compassionate. It would have been hard to see infants starve to death with no way to help them. I love stories steeped in history, but have never written one. I am considering it though, as one of the characters in a contemporary novel I’m writing has an intriguing past that is calling out for me to write about it. The research aspect is a little daunting, though. Thanks for sharing about your work.
How resourceful to use goats as wet nurses when needed! I’m pleased to learn that there were compassionate people concerned with nurturing even those babies with syphilis. That is a fascinating fact, which I doubt I’ll ever forget. How interesting that the goats even remembered the specific babies they nursed!
Thanks again Julie for sharing your time with our book club last night. You have a gift of bringing history to life and transporting the readers through your stories to another era. Yes, this fact was one that I began hearing about days after announcing the book as our selection. Thanks again for your dedication to writing Christian fiction and sharing your passion with us. It was a delight chatting with you.
Sheryl Barnes
Radiant Book Club, North Metro Baptist Church, Lawrenceville GA
I remember reading that back when Lady of Milkweed Manor first came out and being shocked and amazed! What ingenuity and care these nurses took in order to meet the needs of these babies. Wonderful.
Fascinating! How times have changed, right? Now if someone breast feeds another baby (not her own) when he or she is hungry, the headlines ring out the horror! Poor hungry babies need to eat. That’s cool that the goats remembered ‘their’ babies. Odd too. 🙂
Wow!! That’s amazing!!
Lady of Milkweed Manor was one of the first books I read by you and was thoroughly hooked afterwards. As a nurse, I can understand the sympathetic plight of the nuns and nurses to find a way to safely care for those infants. I love the historical tidbits you bring to life in your novels. Thanks for all the research you do to make them so enjoyable and fact-filled.
That’s super interesting! How resourceful of them to use goats. 🙂
Wow, that’s such a fascinating tidbit of information. Lady of Milkweed Manor is still one of my favorite of your novels.
I loved Lady of Milkweed Manor. I knew about wet nurses, but not about goats. How fascinating.
My grandmother could not nurse one of her five daughters and a woman down the street from her had a new baby. My grandmother had to traipse to her house for every feeding, even in the middle of the night. Feedings were scheduled. These two women became fast friends for life and so did the two daughters. This was In 1942 America. No goat nursing, though.
Very interesting! That book is my very favorite of all of yours. It just has a special place in my reading heart.
Mary Koester
That’s amazing!! Thanks for sharing this information!!
Question: Do you come up with idea and then research, or do you research to find ideas. Or is it some of both? I’m interested in writer’s processes, as I teach High School English and Creative Writing.
I knew about the turning from a show on TV, but the turning was at a Catholic orphanage. Times have changed for wet nurses, now women who have given birth but had a stillbirth or they produce more than their baby can use can pump their breasts, and freeze the milk it can last for several months.
Thanks for sharing a fascinating part of your research/backstory about your 1st novel! I knew about wet nurses but not goats.
“Lady of Milkweed Manor” is the 1st novel of yours that I started with followed by your subsequent novels from the library. They’ve been pleasures to read!
Well I had never heard of the goats before – who knew?! What a blessing that even in trying times the Lord provided a way to save those babies! Thank you for sharing a bit of research with us. I also appreciated the visual.
More surprising was the former suitor’s secret ~ that caught me off guard! I have read all of your novels and look forward to a Christmas present each year for myself :). Kathleen ~ Lane Hill House
Wow I’d never heard that before!
Lady of Milkweed Manor remains my favorite of all of your novels. I think it’s because we met each other when we both had newborn babies! It’s also a favorite because of the fascinating facts that you included, and always include in your novels. I love historical fiction and I love that you are meticulous in your research. Keep reasearching and writing my friend!!