What exactly are the midwifes “bricks”?
First off, these bricks have nothing to do with the reddish oblongs that comprise houses and fireplaces. Midwife’s bricks, which I found mentioned in various historic sources, were probably flat and certainly large enough to stand on. There is some debate about what they were used for. They may have had a purely “magical” function, or they may have helped the laboring mother to keep her footing while she squatted to deliver her baby.
