Girding the loins? Direct evidence of the use of a medieval English parchment birthing girdle from biomolecular analysis

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

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Girding the loins? Direct evidence of the use of a medieval English parchment birthing girdle from biomolecular analysis. / Fiddyment, Sarah; Goodison, Natalie J.; Brenner, Elma; Signorello, Stefania; Price, Kierri; Collins, Matthew J.

In: Royal Society Open Science, Vol. 8, No. 3, 202055, 2021.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Harvard

Fiddyment, S, Goodison, NJ, Brenner, E, Signorello, S, Price, K & Collins, MJ 2021, 'Girding the loins? Direct evidence of the use of a medieval English parchment birthing girdle from biomolecular analysis', Royal Society Open Science, vol. 8, no. 3, 202055. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.202055

APA

Fiddyment, S., Goodison, N. J., Brenner, E., Signorello, S., Price, K., & Collins, M. J. (2021). Girding the loins? Direct evidence of the use of a medieval English parchment birthing girdle from biomolecular analysis. Royal Society Open Science, 8(3), [202055]. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.202055

Vancouver

Fiddyment S, Goodison NJ, Brenner E, Signorello S, Price K, Collins MJ. Girding the loins? Direct evidence of the use of a medieval English parchment birthing girdle from biomolecular analysis. Royal Society Open Science. 2021;8(3). 202055. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.202055

Author

Fiddyment, Sarah ; Goodison, Natalie J. ; Brenner, Elma ; Signorello, Stefania ; Price, Kierri ; Collins, Matthew J. / Girding the loins? Direct evidence of the use of a medieval English parchment birthing girdle from biomolecular analysis. In: Royal Society Open Science. 2021 ; Vol. 8, No. 3.

Bibtex

@article{d40b8e92f31140f0989def12a4a01d82,
title = "Girding the loins? Direct evidence of the use of a medieval English parchment birthing girdle from biomolecular analysis",
abstract = "In this paper, we describe palaeoproteomic evidence obtained from a stained medieval birth girdle using a previously developed dry non-invasive sampling technique. The parchment birth girdle studied (Wellcome Collection Western MS. 632) was made in England in the late fifteenth century and was thought to be used by pregnant women while giving birth. We were able to extract both human and non-human peptides from the manuscript, including evidence for the use of honey, cereals, ovicaprine milk and legumes. In addition, a large number of human peptides were detected on the birth roll, many of which are found in cervico-vaginal fluid. This suggests that the birth roll was actively used during childbirth. This study is, to our knowledge, the first to extract and analyse non-collagenous peptides from a birth girdle using this sampling method and demonstrates the potential of this type of analysis for stained manuscripts, providing direct biomolecular evidence for active use. ",
keywords = "birth girdle, medieval, parchment, proteomics, stains",
author = "Sarah Fiddyment and Goodison, {Natalie J.} and Elma Brenner and Stefania Signorello and Kierri Price and Collins, {Matthew J.}",
year = "2021",
doi = "10.1098/rsos.202055",
language = "English",
volume = "8",
journal = "Royal Society Open Science",
issn = "2054-5703",
publisher = "TheRoyal Society Publishing",
number = "3",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Girding the loins? Direct evidence of the use of a medieval English parchment birthing girdle from biomolecular analysis

AU - Fiddyment, Sarah

AU - Goodison, Natalie J.

AU - Brenner, Elma

AU - Signorello, Stefania

AU - Price, Kierri

AU - Collins, Matthew J.

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - In this paper, we describe palaeoproteomic evidence obtained from a stained medieval birth girdle using a previously developed dry non-invasive sampling technique. The parchment birth girdle studied (Wellcome Collection Western MS. 632) was made in England in the late fifteenth century and was thought to be used by pregnant women while giving birth. We were able to extract both human and non-human peptides from the manuscript, including evidence for the use of honey, cereals, ovicaprine milk and legumes. In addition, a large number of human peptides were detected on the birth roll, many of which are found in cervico-vaginal fluid. This suggests that the birth roll was actively used during childbirth. This study is, to our knowledge, the first to extract and analyse non-collagenous peptides from a birth girdle using this sampling method and demonstrates the potential of this type of analysis for stained manuscripts, providing direct biomolecular evidence for active use.

AB - In this paper, we describe palaeoproteomic evidence obtained from a stained medieval birth girdle using a previously developed dry non-invasive sampling technique. The parchment birth girdle studied (Wellcome Collection Western MS. 632) was made in England in the late fifteenth century and was thought to be used by pregnant women while giving birth. We were able to extract both human and non-human peptides from the manuscript, including evidence for the use of honey, cereals, ovicaprine milk and legumes. In addition, a large number of human peptides were detected on the birth roll, many of which are found in cervico-vaginal fluid. This suggests that the birth roll was actively used during childbirth. This study is, to our knowledge, the first to extract and analyse non-collagenous peptides from a birth girdle using this sampling method and demonstrates the potential of this type of analysis for stained manuscripts, providing direct biomolecular evidence for active use.

KW - birth girdle

KW - medieval

KW - parchment

KW - proteomics

KW - stains

U2 - 10.1098/rsos.202055

DO - 10.1098/rsos.202055

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 33959357

AN - SCOPUS:85104697508

VL - 8

JO - Royal Society Open Science

JF - Royal Society Open Science

SN - 2054-5703

IS - 3

M1 - 202055

ER -

ID: 261212760