Sources Guides list

Sources Guide: Birth Control

Organisations

Individuals

Other collections of relevance

Further information about the materials mentioned below can be found on the Archives and Manuscripts Online Catalogue

In some cases the full detailed catalogues of archive collections are not yet in this online database: hard copy versions are available in the Rare Materials Room of the Library and on request to archs+mss@wellcome.ac.uk

Organisations

ABORTION LAW REFORM ASSOCIATION (f. 1935) SA/ALR
Records, 1935-1983, of this body, set up to legalise abortion, and after 1967 Abortion Act, mobilisating against attempts to restrict it. Includes papers of Janet CHANCE, Vera HOUGHTON, Eva LEARNER, Lord SILKIN, Madeleine SIMMS, David STEEL, MP; as well as material from the (Lane) Committee on the Working of the Abortion Act, 1971-1974, and a small group of reports from Brook Advisory Centres, 1965-1981

BIRTH CONTROL CAMPAIGN SA/BCC
Files relating to campaign for provision of free contraception under the NHS, 1970s

FAMILY PLANNING ASSOCIATION (f.1930 as National Birth Control Committee/Association, renamed 1939) SA/FPA
Large collection of records of FPA and its five predecessor bodies, with branch records; including records of the Birth Control Investigation Committee, Birth Control International Information Centre, North Kensington Women's Welfare Clinic, Society for the Provision of Birth Control Clinics, papers of Caspar BROOK, Margery SPRING-RICE

POPULATION INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE (f. 1936) SA/PIC
Records of the Committee and its investigations, including in connection with the Royal Commission on Population and research on family planning, and on population and demography generally, 1930s-2000s

SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF REPRODUCTION AND FERTILITY (f. 2001) SA/SRF
Archives of predecessor bodies, the Society for the Study of Fertility, f. 1950 to promote the study of the biological and medical aspects of fertility and the Journals of Reproduction and Fertility Limited, f. 1959, relating to the study of fertility and reproductive biology

NB the Wellcome Library does not hold the archives of the International Planned Parenthood Federation

Individuals

Carlos Paton BLACKER (1895-1975) PP/CPB
Substantial amounts of material concerning his activities as Secretary of the Eugenics Society (1931-61), in the birth control movement (UK and worldwide), in connection with voluntary sterilisation (including as Chairman of Simon Population Trust), and correspondence with other individuals involved.

Sir Richard DOLL (1912-2005) PP/DOL
A few files of work by this epidemiologist relating to the contraceptive pill, 1970s-80s

Edward Fyfe GRIFFITH (1895-1988) PP/EFG
General practitioner interested in birth control and education; correspondence, writings, etc, 1930s-1960s.

R.J. HETHERINGTON PP/RJH
Collection of material relating to introduction and potential toxicity of oral contraceptives, 1960s-1970s

George Cuthbert Mura M'GONIGLE PP/GMG
Papers relating to his involvement with the Interdepartmental (Birkett) Committee on Abortion, 1937-8, also some material more generally on birth control, sterility, etc, c. 1930s

Eileen PALMER PP/EPR
Collection of material relating to birth control, 1910s-1950s, including papers of Edith How-Martyn and Olive M Johnson, records relating to Birth Control International Information Centre and Birth Control Worldwide, and foreign tours to promote birth control

Sir Alan Sterling PARKES, CBE FRS (1900-1990) PP/ASP
Reproductive biologist with interest in social aspects of reproduction; research papers, activities with various organisations including Family Planning Association, International Planned Parenthood Federation

Frederick PARKES WEBER, FRCP (1863-1962) PP/FPW
Some of the `bundles' in this large collection relate to questions of birth control, eugenics, etc

Ronald Arthur SANDISON (1916-2010) PP/SAN/B.7
Some material relating to family therapy / psychosexual medicine / family planning, 1940s-90s

Marie Charlotte Carmichael STOPES (1880-1958) PP/MCS
Author of Married Love, Wise Parenthood, Radiant Motherhood and other works on sex and contraception; founder of the Society for Constructive Birth Control and the Mothers' Clinics. Correspondence from the general public and doctors about her work, international aspects of birth control, general questions, clinic administration, writings, legal papers, etc
[Additional papers of Dr Stopes are held in the Department of Manuscripts at the British Library]

Dr Cicely WILLIAMS FRCP CMG (1893-1992) PP/CDW
Material re post as Advisor in Training to FPA 1964-1967, as well as lectures, articles and correspondence re birth control in the developing countries c.1948-1987.

Helena Rosa WRIGHT (née Lowenfeld) (1887-1982) PP/HRW
Small group of papers of this pioneer of birth control: See also Barbara EVANS (1909-1995): research materials, 1895-1988 for her biography of Wright, Freedom to Choose PP/PRE/J

 
Other collections of relevance

Aleck BOURNE Abortion Case 1938 GC/150
Papers relating to this trial, which established case-law liberalising medical grounds for abortion.

BRITISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION SA/BMA
A few files on birth control and abortion, 1918-1961

BRITISH SOCIAL HYGIENE COUNCIL (FORMERLY NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR COMBATTING VENEREAL DISEASES) (f.1914) SA/BSH
Marriage/Preparation for Marriage subcommittee 1931-7 included debates on birth control

Sir (William) Allan DALEY (1887-1969) PP/AWD
Medical Officer of Health who was on Working Party on Future of the FPA, 1959-63, collection includes other relevant materials

DOCTORS AND OVERPOPULATION GC/233
Newsletters and associated material, 1970s-80s

EUGENICS SOCIETY (f.1907 as Eugenics Education Society) SA/EUG
Correspondence with individuals and organisations active in birth control; funding of contraceptive research; investigations into Artificial Insemination; campaign for the legalisation of voluntary sterilisation, 1930s; includes small group of papers of Dr Marie STOPES and material on the Marie Stopes Memorial Clinic [see also papers of Dr Marie Stopes, above]
Access only with permission of the Galton Institute
PLEASE NOTE: this collection is being digitised and parts of it will be unavailable during the process. Check the schedule for further information.

Letitia FAIRFIELD, CBE,MD,DPH (1885-1978) GC/193
Some papers on birth control, abortion etc from the point of view of a Roman Catholic medical woman.

HEALTH VISITORS' ASSOCIATION SA/HVA
A little material on birth control and health visitors and allied professions.

INTERNATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF MIDWIVES SA/ICM
Concerned very widely with global reproductive health including birth control, abortion, population issues, 1970s-90s

'IN THE CLUB' GC/105
Transcripts of interviews by TV History Workshop used as basis for series of television programmes under the above title, broadcast in 1988

Charles KNOWLTON: Fruits of Philosophy (transcript) MS.7812
Notebook containing ms transcript [n.d. - after 1833] of this early birth control manual

LONDON CHEMIST MS.3993
Prescription-book, 1884-8, contains advertisement and price list of J. Ramel, Bishopsgate St., 'Sanitary India-Rubber and Chirurgical Instruments Manufacturer and Importer', which includes contraceptives

MEDICAL WOMEN'S FEDERATION SA/MWF
Minutes, correspondence, surveys, etc, on birth control provision, teaching, etc, 1920s-1980s.

Florence Fenwick MILLER (1854-1935) GC/228
‘An Uncommon Girlhood’
Florence Fenwick Miller’s memoir mentions her contacts with the Drysdales and Malthusian circles in London during the 1870s-80s

NATIONAL BIRTHDAY TRUST FUND (f. 1928) SA/NBT
Includes records of the Joint Council on Midwifery Abortion Survey 1936-1939

[Edward] Max NICOLSON, CB, CVO (b.1904) GC/142
Papers on population issues, 1940s-1980s; some relate to the Simon Population Trust (of which he was a founder); also correspondence with Dr C P Blacker of the Eugenics Society

Patients’ Association (f. 1963) SA/PAT
Files relating to patient concerns around birth control, abortion, etc, c. 1970s–90s

PIONEER HEALTH CENTRE PECKHAM with papers of George SCOTT WILLIAMSON MD (1884-1953) and Innes Hope PEARSE (1889-1978) SA/PHC
Place of birth control in the "Peckham Experiment", writings of both the above on the subject.

QUEEN’S NURSING INSTITUTE (Chartered in 1889 as Queen Victoria’s Jubilee Institute for Nurses) SA/QNI
Includes material on debates on whether district nurses should give birth control advice

ROCKEFELLER/EUGENICS GC/88
Copies of correspondence from Rockefeller Family archives re their support for research of (English) Eugenics Society, 1934-1940

Dr Bernard SANDLER (1907-1997) GC/149
Small group of papers predominantly relating to his work in infertility, 1940s-1980s
NB: bodies such as the FPA and individuals such as Stopes were also engaged in this positive side of family planning

Janet M SIMPSON (b.1937): 'Having an Abortion: clients' satisfaction with an out-patient day-care service' PP/SIM
MSc dissertation, 1980, and tapes of interviews made at Mile End Hospital day care abortion clinic, summer 1979

SOCIETY OF MEDICAL OFFICERS OF HEALTH/ SOCIETY OF COMMUNITY MEDICINE/ SOCIETY OF PUBLIC HEALTH (1856-1997) SA/SMO
Papers of the Maternal and Child Health Group, 1946-1974, including the Group’s Working Party on Family Planning Record Card (D.5/6), files on birth control and family planning services in section L, articles in the Society’s journal Public Health, and (non-Society) published sources on birth control

Sir Bernard SPILSBURY PP/SPI
Notes on autopsies performed by him 1905-33 include many cases of illegal abortion

WELLCOME WITNESS SEMINARS GC/253
Correspondence, photos, tapes, etc. of Witness Seminar 'The Contraceptive Pill', Jun 1995

THE WIDOW WELCH’S PILLS SA/WWP
Records of the family firm manufacturing Widow Welch's Female Pills, widely believed to be an abortifacient, 1787-1966

Moya WOODSIDE (b.1907) GC/39
Items relating to Society for Constructive Birth Control, Belfast, and other birth control material, c.1937-1942, and reminiscences of her work in this field [1980s]

NB for an earlier period, domestic medicine and receipt books sometimes include abortifacient preparations: see separate leaflets for C16th-17th, C18th, C19th