Maternity project wants to help quads find film of their birth
30 Jun 2025
The rare birth of a set of naturally conceived quadruplets is just one of the fascinating stories uncovered by a look into the heritage of maternity healthcare in Northumberland.
Northumberland County Council Archives Service’s maternity project focuses on two long-closed homes - Mona Taylor Maternity Hospital in Stannington and Castle Hills in Berwick
Both hospitals opened during the 1940s, as the UK started to move away from home spun, home births and towards professional institution-based maternity care.
The birth of the quadruplets on August 3, 1961, was a 1-in-700,000 occurrence and brought national media attention to the family who featured in the Daily Mirror as well as many regional newspapers.
Sadly, for parents Alan and Peggy Proudlock, one of the babies (Heather) died at birth but the three remaining quads Alison, Timothy and Ian – along with their two older sisters Dawn and Gail became a familiar sight around the Bedlington area.
Now the surviving quadruplets are working with the Archives Service to discover as much as they can about their journey and are hoping someone can help them locate a film of their birth taken by a doctor.
Northumberland County Councillor Wendy Pattison, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Archives, said: “This is a powerful and fascinating project and shows the breadth of the work that the Archives team deal with on a daily basis.
“We do hope the people of Northumberland can help – both for the family and the Archives service.”
Sue Wood, Head of Archives said: “The film may still exist somewhere in private hands or among forgotten local collections but so far efforts to track it down have proved fruitless.
“Although a very personal discovery for the quads it would also be a historically valuable piece of visual documentation from a time when maternity care was undergoing major change in Britain.
“We hope someone in the community may recall the footage or know of its whereabouts.”
Alison Stolcers (nee Proudlock) explained: “We would love to see the film. All we know is that it was taken in colour by a local doctor possibly called Dr Fairlie. It was a natural birth and because we’re not identical we all had our own placentas.
“Even though it was rare in those days Dad had to help with childcare, as well as working, initially as a miner. With three babies and two other young children it would have been impossible for Mum.
“Multiple births are more common these days but if anyone asked my dad about it he’d say: “It was all my own work”.
“Mum didn’t talk about our birth much, as there was always the grief of losing Heather – a sadness behind her eyes. I just know that my sister had curly ginger hair…
“We never had a lot of money but we were happy. Things improved when my dad got a job as a school caretaker which came with a house.
“We lost Mum in 2019 and are all getting on now ourselves so it would be great to locate the recording.”
Mona Taylor Maternity Home opened on December 17, 1943, in a building previously used as a workhouse.
The hospital was named after the mother of Alderman Margery Taylor, who played a central role in it being established during the Second World War, providing essential maternity services at a time of rationing and great uncertainty.
Records from Mona Taylor are sparse, although it is known that midwives delivered 455 babies in the first year. That gap in documentation has made oral histories and public contributions even more crucial to the success of the project.
Castle Hills Maternity Unit opened on April 26, 1945. It was part funded by local women and was a converted private house. It remained open for more than 40 years, closing in 1986 when maternity services were transferred to Berwick Infirmary.
Sue, who is leading the project, said: “The legacy of both homes lives on in the memories of former patients, midwives and staff so I am appealing to anyone with connections to either maternity home to come forward.
“We’re eager to hear from anyone who worked at or gave birth at Mona Taylor or Castle Hills. We are also looking for photographs of both Maternity Homes. Every memory or document we uncover adds depth to our understanding of how maternity care developed in this part of the country.
“The aim of the project is to create a public exhibition showcasing the evolution of maternity services in the county - while the search for the film of the birth of the quadruplets has added a very personal layer to the research.
“The surviving siblings hope that renewed public interest may help bring locate the film which would be a remarkable piece of family and local history.”
*Anyone with memories of the maternity homes or the footage is encouraged to contact Sue Wood on 01670 624358 or email:archives@northumberland.gov.uk