Oral history recordings and transcripts collated by Billie Hunter and Nicky Leap during research for the publication 'The Midwife's Tale: An Oral History from Handywoman to Professional Midwife'. Hunter and Leap interviewed midwives, mothers and their families between 1985 and 1992 on their experiences with childbirth, sex education, women's health, midwifery training, handywomen, community midwifery, and family life in the decades prior to the establishment of the National Health Service in 1948.
The Midwife's Tale: Oral History Collection of Billie Hunter and Nicky Leap
Archive Unit
- For more information, email the repository
- Advice on accessing these materials
- Cite this description
- Bookmark:http://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/data/gb1538-rcms/rcms/251
- This material is held at
- ReferenceGB 1538 RCMS/251
- Dates of Creation1985 - 1992
- Name of Creator
- Language of MaterialEnglish
- Physical Description26 files
Scope and Content
Administrative / Biographical History
Donated to the RCM Archive by Billie Hunter and Nicky Leap in December 2014.
Access Information
Transcripts and Sample Audio:Free to view and download from the website of the Royal College of Midwives: https://www.rcm.org.uk/library-and-information-services
Audio of Full Interviews: Accessible for free and by appointment at the library of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Opening hours: Monday-Friday, 9am-6pm (contact: archives@rcog.org.uk)
Write, call or email us to book an appointment, make an enquiry, or to order digital copies (free via Dropbox) for personal and non-commercial research.
Acquisition Information
Donated to the RCM Archive by Billie Hunter and Nicky Leap in December 2014. The original interviews were recorded on audio cassettes (property of Nicky Leap and Billie Hunter) and mp3 copies were donated to the RCM archive in December 2014.
The cassettes were digitised by Reuben Hunter-McHardy (son of Billie Hunter).
Access copies were made by the Archivist in March 2016 by performing noise reduction on these mp3 files.
Transcripts of the interviews were made professionally during work on the first edition of 'The Midwife's Tale' and were adapted and standardised in 2016 for use in the archive.
Conditions Governing Use
Copies for private study purposes only are available from the Archivist (contact: archives@rcog.org.uk). Copyright permission is required for commercial use of audio and transcripts.
Copyright lies with the authors Billie Hunter and Nicky Leap.
Bibliography
Nicky Leap and Billie Hunter, "The Midwife's Tale: An Oral History from Handywoman to Professional Midwife", Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 2013