Stephen Hindley believes the 'Dickensian' treatment his wife Judith received at a Church of England home for unmarried mothers in the 1960s led to her suicide in 2006. Judith, who was sent to St Monica's in Kendal at age 17 while pregnant, gave birth to a son who died 11 weeks later after staff refused to let him go to hospital.
Mr Hindley said his wife described being 'worked from morning until night' until she gave birth, and that the trauma of her son's death contributed to a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. She attempted suicide several times before her body was found in her car near where her baby was buried.
Dr Michael Lambert, a research fellow at Lancaster University, said St Monica's was 'completely substandard' even by the standards of the day, with no trained midwives and regular complaints about care. The home was funded by local authorities and operated by the Diocese of Carlisle from 1918 until 1970.
After Judith's death, Mr Hindley tried to buy the plot where her baby was buried but discovered the grave was unmarked and likely contained other babies. Dr Lambert has been refused access to restricted records held by Carlisle diocese that could provide more information about deaths at the home.
