WONDERFUL BIRTHS.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2124, 13 January 1880, Page 2

WONDERFUL BIRTHS.

We propose to give here a notice of some of the most remarkable instances of numerous births which have from time to time been chronicled. It will

appear almost incredible - that sd many as twenty children should have?.sprung from one mother, but among- the class enumerated here will be found some r . in point of 1 limnbcr. There is; a singular instance of numerous ■ t,° be,_ found in the “ English Caiffies'_ Gelßbi-eS,” where Colonel James ■Tumefy in his defence, speaking of his i Wife, says, “ She sat down) being somewhat fat and weary poor heart 1 I had twenty-seven children by her, fifteen !i ' Sons' and ; twelve daughters,” Some re- • markable instances of this have been . .chronicled at different times in the Gentleman’s Magazine.” In the year. 1836 we find a notice of the birth of the thirty-fifth child by one husband of a " :i woman' "in Yere street. In 1743 is - recorded ‘ the death 6f : Agnes Mil- ! ' bom*ne,'oaged 106, who had been the mother of thirty children. In 1738 we are told of a “ Mr Thomas Rogers, a change broker, who had by his wife, 29 children, born and christened.” On the 31st July, 1781, it is mentioned that a - man and woman at Kirton-le-moor, in - Cumberland, together with their 30 the youngest of . whom was ~ ; between,two ; and three - years old, walked.to church to' the christening, of . the 31st child. In the “ Collectanea Tdpbgraphica ” ! is noticed the case of Thomas Greehhill, surgeon to the Duke ■ df Norfolk, -who petitioned the Earl Marshall, “ that in consideration of your petitioner being the seventh son and 38th child of one father and mother . your grace will bo pleased to., signalise it by some particular, remark or argumentation in his coat«f arms, to. transmit to posterity so uncommon a thing.” 1 It may be observed that the confirmation of the; arms contains no reference. , A stilb, more wonderful instance is , ; given’ in the same work, of a weaver in , Scotland, who had hy one woman sixtytwd children, of whom four daughters, arid forty-six sons lived to grow lip. This account is given on the authority of several . creditable witnesses. In each of these cases it will be observed that tile children were all born of the same parents. Two other cases are recorded slightly different—one of a man who had eighty-seven by two wives of which’ sixty-nine were by the first, eighteen by the second; another who had seventy two children by two wives, oiie of whom was the mother of thirtytwo children. ' Perhaps still more wonderful are cases on record of the number of children born at a single birth. It is stated in the “ Gentleman’s Magazine,” March, 1798, that in the commune of Yerchoq, department of Pas De Calis, the wife of Pierre Francois Duisian had six children at a birth, three hoys and three girls ; they were all born alive; but died soon after. Dinora, Salviati, wife, of Barcollonico P’fescobaldi, a member of an old Florentine bouse, gave birth to fiftytwo children in all, of whom never loss than three were born at a time. In “ Aubery’s Natural History of Wiltshire,” we find an account of an in scrip-. tion at Wishford Magna, to Thomas Bonham and Edith his wife, who died in the years 1473 and 1869 respectively. Mrs Bonham had two children at one birth the first time, and after an interval of seven years had as many as seven children at once. There is a tradition, which is recorded in the • parish register, that all the seven children were brought to the font' of the, church and : baptised.—“ World of Wonders.” -