Where does the word ‘gossip’ come from – and what has it got to do with childbirth?

The word ‘gossip’ has its origins in the birthing room of the pre-modern Atlantic world. Ideally, midwives were responsible for delivering children; these were generally older women who had trained under another midwife and had already experienced childbirth themselves. But a mother-to-be often invited a small group of women – including close friends and female family members – to support her through the birthing process. These women were known as the ‘gossips’.

When labour started a call went out to summon the midwife and gossips. They would have prepared the birthing room to ensure the relative comfort of the woman and her new child, covering the windows to darken the room, stoking the fire and preparing the bed or birthing chair. Their tasks often included making a special drink for the new mother-to be, called ‘caudle’. Usually made of warmed wine or ale mixed with spices, sugar and oats, caudle was a strengthening and sustaining drink made specially for the occasion. When the preparations were complete, the gossips then waited out the baby’s arrival. In some cases, they even stepped in to deliver the baby when a midwife couldn’t be present.