Wateringbury Wet Nurse (1624)

Post date: Aug 08, 2011 2:34:50 PM

Valerie Fildes in her book 'Breasts , Bottles and Babies' (Edinburgh 1986) describes how in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries an industry grew up in England of sending babies from larger towns into the countryside to be wet-nursed. One Wateringbury example is cited (page 158) that of a lawyer Hugh Cholmeley living in London when his first son was born in 1624 who he sent out to a wet nurse in Wateringbury.

Some points can be made about the industry of wet nursing for rich private clients as a whole, although to what extent they apply to the Wateringbury example must be a matter of speculation.

• It was a lucrative occupation with wet nurses being paid several times more than dry nurses or other servants.

• Usually the child went to the nurse and only in rare cases (e.g. royalty) did the nurse go to the child's home.

• Distances were often long and so, in an age before turnpikes and railways, children were infrequently seen by their parents.

• Wet nurses tended to come from the lower, but not the poorest, classes of rural society.

This example is also cited in Frank W. Jessup's book Sir Roger Twysden (p19)(1965 London) . Hugh Cholmeley (or Cholmley) was married (in 1622) to Elizabeth Twysden, sister of Sir Roger Twysden of Royden Hall, East Peckham and owner of Westbury Manor in Wateringbury. The child died in infancy. Hugh was apparently living sometimes in London at the Twysden house in Redcross street and sometimes at Royden Hall as his father was highly indebted.

For more snippets about Wateringbury women go to The Wateringbbury witch; Women own all of Wateringbury ;and Women burglars of Wateringbury.