Neglect and Death of Unadoptable Infants at Church-Run Home
Sick infants deemed unsuitable for adoption were reportedly allowed to die at a church-operated mother and baby home in Cumbria, according to a recent study by a prominent academic. These findings have been acknowledged by an individual who has long sought to uncover the truth about the events at the facility.
Warning: This story contains distressing details
"She genuinely thought she was a wicked person. She thought she was worthless, and that's how she spent the rest of her life."
Steve Hindley's wife, Judith, found it difficult to discuss her experiences as a teenager when she was sent, pregnant and frightened, to a home for unmarried mothers in Kendal, Cumbria.
Judith reported that she became pregnant as a result of rape. She was among tens of thousands of young women sent away to give birth in secrecy due to the stigma of being unmarried. Many of these women had their babies forcibly adopted.
Judith's son, Stephen, was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus at St Monica's Maternity Home in January 1964. Despite her requests for medical care, Stephen died 11 weeks later after being denied hospital treatment.
One of the nation's foremost experts on homes for unmarried mothers, Dr Michael Lambert, a lecturer in medical humanities at Lancaster University, spent several months examining surviving records related to St Monica's, which was managed by the Church of England.
Dr Lambert analyzed hundreds of documents from national and regional archives to reconstruct the circumstances surrounding Stephen Holt's death and those of other infants.
The 80-page report concluded that Judith's baby was left to die because his disability rendered him unattractive for adoption.
"It is clear that according to the standards of the day, he was denied access to modern medical care because his mother was unmarried, he was illegitimate, and his short life was contained in an institution whose culture was centred on secrecy and providing desirable children for adoption,"Lambert's report states.
"In short, in such a context, because Stephen was born with a disability, he was left or enabled to die in what were deemed his best interests given the range of alternatives by those tasked with his care."
The research, which has been submitted to Cumbria Police, also found that other infants were allowed to die at the home due to being unadoptable.
"The infants that aren't being cared for where the deaths are taking place are disproportionately those that aren't desirable for adoption,"the report notes.
Following Stephen's death, Judith committed herself to becoming a nurse and dedicated her life to caring for sick and terminally ill children.
However, she never overcame the trauma and died by suicide in 2006 near the unmarked grave where her son was buried in Kendal's cemetery, alongside other babies who died at the home.
"When she died I said to her, 'now love, you made me not investigate all these years and I kept my word,'" Steve recalls.
"You've passed now love, the baton's in my hands. And I'm going to do whatever it takes until the day I die to get this dealt with and to get some justice'."
Accusations of Criminal Neglect
For Steve, the findings represent vindication after decades of seeking answers.
"I think the baby was murdered. I think he was deliberately terminated,"he says.
"This is criminal neglect from the authorities who could have done something."
Annual reports reviewed by BBC North East and Cumbria Investigations indicate that at least 400 babies were adopted from St Monica's, which operated from 1918 until its closure in 1970.
The BBC has also examined death certificates for over 50 infants who died at the home between 1933 and 1967.
More than 40 of these deaths occurred during the tenure of Elsie Stannard, the home's long-serving matron who managed it for 27 years and was described by Dr Lambert as "incompetent and fixated on petty cruelty."
The death records reveal that several babies died from treatable conditions, while others suffered massive head injuries believed to have occurred during childbirth.
The home was operated by the Diocese of Carlisle and funded by grants from local authorities, which sent women from across northwest England.
The diocese welcomed the report and expressed gratitude to Dr Lambert for his work.
It reiterated its ongoing "heartfelt apologies" to those affected by malpractice at the home and affirmed its commitment to full transparency in support of any police investigation.
Jan Lawden’s Story
Jan Lawden was 15 when she was sent to St Monica's with her newborn son Julian in April 1968.
"It was scary,"she recalls.
"I remember being on my hands and knees polishing, scrubbing stairs. It was a bit like being in prison."
Jan, now 73, vividly remembers the day she had to give up Julian for adoption and spent years trying to learn what happened to him.
"We couldn't get any information from anybody,"she said.
After decades of searching, in 2025 she was informed that Julian had died in his late 20s.
"It was worse than not knowing. I'd like someone to tell me what kind of life he had. And I'd like to know where he is, to put a kind of closure on it, that would help enormously."
Challenges Accessing Records and Institutional Responses
Both Steve and Dr Lambert have faced difficulties accessing records. They welcomed the Diocese of Carlisle's approach, which had previously apologized for Judith's treatment at St Monica's and opened its archives for investigation.
However, Dr Lambert remains restricted from accessing key documents held by other agencies, which he believes could provide further evidence concerning Judith's case.
The Church of England announced in January plans to apologize for its role in the forced adoption scandal.
There have been repeated calls for the UK government to issue an apology for the state's involvement in forced adoption.
In a statement, the Diocese of Carlisle recognized Steve Hindley's courage and his "vital work in ensuring victims' and survivors' voices are not lost."
It stated, "each child and mother at St Monica's deserved the utmost care" and added, "cruel or incompetent practices should have been prevented."
"Any behaviour which countered this was reprehensible," the statement concluded.
Steve Hindley’s Reflections
Steve, who recently turned 80, feels he has accomplished his mission.
"I feel a sense of massive relief because I've been banging my head against a brick wall for decades,"he says.
"I'm feeling I've fulfilled my mission, and I'm beginning to relax. Because I know Judy, if she's looking down now, will know that she wasn't worthless, she wasn't wicked.
"I believe she's had justice delivered and people now know what happened to her."
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