A new investigation has uncovered the shocking truth about St Monica's Home for unmarried mothers in Cumbria, where hundreds of babies died between 1933 and 1967. The records, obtained by BBC North East and Cumbria Investigations, reveal a brutal physical regime and incompetent care that led to the deaths of many unborn and newborn babies.
Leading expert Dr Michael Lambert, a lecturer in medical humanities at Lancaster University, has analysed the records and believes that babies were left to die due to being 'undesirable' for adoption. He has also spent the last year compiling evidence about the deaths of infants at the home, which he has passed on to Cumbria Police.
The Church of England-run home, which closed in 1970, was meant to be a safe and caring place for pregnant women and their unborn babies. However, the records show that the heavily pregnant teenage girls and women who arrived at the home were met with punishment and cruelty.
The investigation has raised concerns about the treatment of unmarried mothers and their babies during this period. Dr Lambert believes that the deaths are a 'massive injustice' and that the organisations responsible for caring for these young and vulnerable women and girls 'had a different purpose in mind'.