First quadruplets to survive in the United Kingdom
The St Neots quads are a set of quadruplets who were born in 1935 to Doris Miles, living in Eynesbury, in St Neots,[1]Huntingdonshire, England. A family doctor ensured that special attention was given to their care, and they were the first British quadruplets to survive more than a few days. They were regarded as a sensation by the press, and were sponsored by a baby formula manufacturer; they were frequently called on to be present at events for publicity purposes. As of 2024, they are still living and are the oldest quadruplets in the world.
On 28 November 1935, Doris Miles gave birth to quadruplets. They were the first British quadruplets babies to survive more than a few days. In ante-natal check-ups Mrs Miles had been led to believe she was expecting twins, but later an X-ray indicated triplets.
Dr E H Harrisson, District Nurse Mailing, and Mrs Miles' mother delivered the babies. They were seven weeks premature, and were very underweight. Their toenails and fingernails had not yet formed, and they were unable to maintain body temperature without artificial aid. The fourth baby to be born needed artificial respiration for 50 minutes before he started to breathe independently.[2]
The babies were Ann, weighing 3lb 12+1⁄2oz (1,720g), Ernest 3lb 5oz (1,500g), Paul 3lb 7oz (1,600g), and Michael at 2lb 13oz (1,300g). The babies were also unable to suckle properly at first, and were fed from a teaspoon by Mrs Miles' mother.[2]
The house in Ferrars Avenue in Eynesbury where the quads were born
Newspaper reports soon publicised the birth:
St Neots Quadruplets Babies' Condition "Much Improved": The quadruplets – a girl and three boys – born on Thursday morning at the home of their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Miles, in Ferrars Avenue, Eynesbury, St. Neots, were stated by Dr. Harrisson to be doing exceptionally well and to be very much improved yesterday. Mrs. Miles, too, was very comfortable, and the doctor was satisfied with her condition. A local business man has opened a fund to help Mr. and Mrs. Miles to rear their family, and Mr. A. J. Huckle, chairman of the local urban district council, is to suggest that the council should suitably recognize the event, especially as the quadruplets were born in one of the council houses. The quadruplets were christened at the house yesterday by Canon A. R. South Phillips, rector of Eynesbury.[3]
Initial media attention
The birth attracted worldwide attention. The British press immediately called them "The St Neots quads", and frequent reports of their progress were published in British and overseas newspapers.
The Times newspaper reported:
The Eynesbury quadruplets yesterday received the King's Bounty. Mrs. Miles, their mother, in the morning received a letter from Buckingham Palace, stating:- "The Keeper of the King's Privy Purse is commanded by his Majesty to pay the King's Bounty to Mrs. Miles, and, accordingly forwards herewith a cheque for £4."
Yesterday's report of the condition of the infants was quite satisfactory. One of the difficulties that have arisen is the necessity for taking human milk from London to St. Neots twice daily. Dr. Harrisson's daughter, Mrs. Winifred Crossley, who is an experienced pilot, is making arrangements to fly the milk from Hendon, landing on the common near St. Neots. Four nurses from the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, London, have been sent to St. Neots to help in their care. All were trained at the hospital and are on the private staff of resident nurses who hold themselves available for emergencies, but in this case the hospital will not charge the parents for their services. One of the hospital's medical consultants also has visited St. Neots and consulted with Dr. Harrisson. An oxygen tent has been placed at the service of the babies by the British Red Cross Society in case of need.[4]
The family
Mrs Miles and her husband Walter lived at 13 Ferrars Avenue, Eynesbury and already had a 2-year-old son, Gordon. Walter Miles was a lorry driver, and Doris Miles was a homemaker.[2][5] Mr Miles was 28 and worked at Rowlatt Brothers in St Neots; he said "I am no longer Walter Miles, lorry driver: I am the father of the St Neots quads."[6]
Mr Miles said that he went to work as usual that day, but confessed to being a 'little late', and came home at lunchtime to find a huge group of reporters on his doorstep, and by 3 pm he said he had 'still not had a bite'."[6]
Post-natal care
Dr Harrisson's house, the Shrubbery, in 2021
Medical knowledge about the care of premature babies was remarkably advanced in 1935, and it was quickly identified that specialist care would be essential. This could not be provided properly in the Miles home, and the quads were taken on 30 November to the home of Dr Ernest Harrisson at the Shrubbery in Church Street, St Neots. A dedicated nursery was provided there in a south-facing bedroom in Harrisson’s home.
It was necessary to keep them in a germ-free environment, with the temperature maintained at 78 deg F (26 deg C) and a humid atmosphere. A team of four nurses from Great Ormond Street Hospital attended to them, free of charge,[note 1] to attend to their care. Milk was brought twice a day from Queen Charlotte's Hospital, London; it was skimmed and diluted with water to enable the babies to digest it. They were not bathed in water, but were rubbed with olive oil. The danger of infection meant that their parents were permitted only infrequent visits to their new babies.[2]
The Times newspaper elaborated:
The quadruplets born to Mr. and Mrs. Miles at Eynesbury, Huntingdonshire, on Thursday, are being attended by four nurses from the Great Ormond Street Hospital, London. The babies are now lying in a specially heated room at Dr. Harrisson's house at St. Neot's, having been moved from their parents' home on Saturday. Dr. Harrisson explained that there had been a rush of people to see them at their home, and he thought it advisable to take them to his house, where also there was more convenience and better accommodation for the nurses. They were taken two at a time in the doctor's car. Dr. Harrisson said that the babies are costing about £15 a day, and he added, "Donations would be very acceptable, for the father is in poor circumstances." Human milk has to be brought by car from a London hospital at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., the journeys totalling about 200 miles a day. "Any offer of help in fetching the milk would be gratefully received," said Dr. Harrisson.[7]
Childhood bronchitis
The house in New Street, St Neots showing the nursery extension for the quads
On 27 July 1939, the Times newspaper reported:
The St. Neots quads are all confined to bed. Paul and Ann developed bronchitis on Monday, the attack being severe, but not dangerous. Paul was much better yesterday, while Ann’s condition was about the same. Michael And Ernest have slight colds, and are being kept in bed as a matter of precaution. They are practically well again, but no visitors are allowed while they are in bed. The quads are now over 3½ years old.[8]
Fund raising
St Neots Quads in 1936 with Dr Harrisson and their Mother
Mr Miles' income at the time was £3 a week. Harrisson estimated that the care of the quads would be extremely expensive, amounting to about £5,000, and he started a public fund raising appeal. A limited contribution was available to the family in the form of a Royal Bounty, first established by Queen Victoria in 1849, for each child of a multiple birth "to enable the parents to meet sudden expenses thrown upon them". Mrs Miles received a bounty of £4 soon after the birth of the babies. A local newspaper, the St Neots Advertiser, started an appeal fund on 29 November, and donations came from local people and those who lived much further away.
The quads continued to thrive, and on 1 February 1936 they were given a first bath with soap and water. Their lives continued to be carefully regulated and their diets were monitored daily. Gradually they were able to digest ordinary breast milk and then moved on to unsweetened condensed milk with added sugar.[2]
Public events
St Bartholomew's Hospital in London held a children's fun event in July 1939. As well as funfair entertainments, and some gruesome medical exhibits, the St Neots Quads made an appearance on 5 July 1939.[9]
When they were 21 years old, an event was staged in Grosvenor House in London at which they and three other sets of quadruplets took part. The other quads were 8, 8, and 6 years old respectively. Ann Miles cut an elaborate cake which her mother had baked. The event was portrayed in a Pathé newsreel as the Miles Quads' birthday party, but it was obviously a media stunt.[10]
Sponsorship and newsreel appearances
Soon after the birth, the babies moved to Cow & Gate 'Frailac', a formula milk, followed by Cow & Gate Half-cream Milk, and this began a longstanding connection with the Cow & Gate Company. The company supported the Miles Quads for many years, and when the family moved to a new home at 27 New Street, St Neots,[note 2] Cow & Gate gave financial assistance toward making a nursery there, as well as providing baby milk and weaning foods, and giving them birthday presents. When they reached 21 years of age in 1956, in those days considered reaching adulthood, Cow & Gate paid for a grand 21st birthday party. The Quads appeared in many Cow & Gate advertising campaigns, and the income this provided helped Mr and Mrs Miles with the expense.[2]
Blue plaque
The blue plaque on the house at 27 New Street; "Ferrars" is incorrectly spelt
A blue plaque commemorating the birth of the quads has been fixed to the building at 27 New Street (in the Tan Yard elevation), stating "This house was home to the St Neots Quads. Born at Ferrers (sic) Avenue, Eynesbury on 28th November 1935 to Mr and Mrs Miles, they attracted national interest. A nursery was added to this house by H F Bull and sons and opened by the Minister of Health on 30th June 1936". On Wednesday 9 March three of the quads, Paul, Ernest and Ann, returned to unveil the blue plaque; Michael was unable to attend as he lives in South Africa.[11]
79th birthday
The Mirror (newspaper) ran a headline on the 79th birthday in 2014, "Fourmidable: The world's oldest quads toast their 79th birthday against all the odds". Some information about their adult life was published in the article:
Ann moved to a nearby town and had three children with husband Bob Browning, later finding work as a school assistant. The three boys served stints in the Army and the RAF before going their separate ways. Dad-of-five Ernest worked at a power station and settled in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Dad-of-three Paul started life as a boatbuilder but went on to work as an animal breeder near his home in Cambridgeshire. And dad-of-two Michael emigrated to South Africa where he worked for Kodak film. Between them, the quads now have 13 children, 23 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Their father Walter died aged 64 while their Mother Doris passed away at the age of 74.[12]
The St Neots quads are thought to be the oldest quads in the world.[6]
The St Neots Quads were the first quadruplets to survive in the United Kingdom, but two other surviving multiple births had taken place. The Dionne quintuplets, identical girls, had been born in Canada on 28 May 1934,[13] and the Johnson quadruplets in New Zealand.[14]
Huntingdonshire is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England, which was historically a county in its own right. It borders Peterborough to the north, Fenland to the north-east, East Cambridgeshire to the east, South Cambridgeshire to the south-east, Central Bedfordshire and Bedford to the south-west, and North Northamptonshire to the west.
St Neots is a town and civil parish in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. It is 18 miles (29 km) west of Cambridge. The areas of Eynesbury, Eaton Ford, Eaton Socon, and Wintringham form part of the town.
Neot was an English monk. Born in the first half of the ninth century, he lived as a monk at Glastonbury Abbey. He preferred to perform his religious devotions privately, and he later went to live an isolated life in Cornwall, near the village now called St Neot. His wisdom and religious dedication earned him admiration from the monks. He visited the Pope in Rome, who instructed him to found a monastery in Cornwall.
Eynesbury is an urban area in the civil parish of St Neots, in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. It mainly consists of housing, although there is an area of light industry, and a large supermarket. In addition there is a large area of open grassland and a caravan park.
Eaton Ford is an area in the civil parish of St Neots, Cambridgeshire, England. It is a mainly residential area also containing Riverside Park, a large area of riverside parkland. Much of the housing stock dates from the period of London overspill during the 1960s and subsequently. The former village green is still in place.
Eaton Socon is a community in the civil parish of St Neots, in the Huntingdonshire district, in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. Eaton Socon is a component of the town of St Neots, located on its south-west margin. Eaton Socon lies on the west side of the River Great Ouse, and is bounded on the west by the A1 road and on the south by the A428 road. On the north side Duloe Brook delineates the boundary with Eaton Ford, which is also part of St Neots.
St Neots, historically in Huntingdonshire, is one of the largest towns in Cambridgeshire, England, after the cities of Cambridge and Peterborough. There is evidence of very early occupation in the area. In Roman times a fortified settlement was established, and present-day Eynesbury in particular became important, in addition to scattered settlements west of the River Great Ouse. A holy man named Saint Neot had died about the year 877 AD and his relics were held for a century in a parish in Cornwall. About 974 AD a Priory was established in the northern part of Eynesburydowner took the relics of Saint Neot from the Cornish church and conveyed them to Eynesbury. This brought fame to the Eynesbury Priory, and gradually that part of the town became known as St Neots.
The Dionne quintuplets are the first quintuplets known to have survived their infancy. The identical girls were born just outside Callander, Ontario, near the village of Corbeil. All five survived to adulthood.
Little Paxton in Cambridgeshire, England is a village and civil parish that lies 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Huntingdon and 1.7 miles (2.7 km) north of St Neots. It is in the district and historic county of Huntingdonshire. Until the 1970s it was a minor village and the church was under threat of closure. The building of a housing estate and a junior school revived its fortunes and the establishment of the Paxton Pits Nature Reserve around part of the nearby gravel pits has brought visitors to the village.
Eynesbury Rovers Football Club is a football club based in the Eynesbury area of St Neots in Cambridgeshire, England. The club are currently members of the United Counties League Premier Division South, and play at the Alfred Hall Memorial Ground.
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Eaton Socon Castle was a Norman fortification. It was constructed next to the River Great Ouse in what is now Eaton Socon, Cambridgeshire, England.
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Mary Treen was an American film and television actress. A minor actress for much of her career, she managed to secure a plain, unassuming niche for herself in dozens of movies and television shows in a Hollywood career spanning five decades, from 1930 to 1981.
The Fultz sisters were a set of American quadruplets who gained notoriety for being the first identical African American quadruplets on record. They made promotional appearances for Pet Milk in a deal that provided their family land, a house, and a full-time nurse. The sisters were later adopted by the nurse. Throughout their childhood, they received attention in the media, where they were also termed the Fultz quads.
The Richmond child murder was the case of Amy Gregory who was convicted in 1895 of strangling to death her daughter, Frances Maud Gregory, whose dead body was found on the ice in the Old Deer Park, Richmond, England. She was granted a reprieve from execution by the Home Secretary.
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Lying-In Hospital, which was chartered in 1799, was given a strong boost in 1897 with "the magnificent gift of $1,000,000" from J. Pierpont Morgan.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Liz Davies, Surviving the Odds: the Story of the St Neots Quads, St Neots Museum, 25 February 2021
↑ St Neots Quadruplets Babies' Condition "Much Improved", Times Newspaper, 30 November 1935
↑ The King's Bounty for Quadruplets – Milk Supply by Aeroplane: Times Newspaper, 3 Dec 1935
↑ C F Tebbutt, St. Neots: The History of a Huntingdonshire Town, Phillimore Publishing Co Ltd, Chichester, 1978 corrected reprint 1984, ISBN 0 85033 270 2, page 330
1 2 3 St Neots miraculous quads became headline news, feature in newspaper commemorative special, The Hunts Post: 125 years 3 February 2021
↑ The Eynesbury Quadruplets, Times Newspaper, 2 Dec 1935
↑ St Neots Quads ill, in the Times Newspaper 27 July 1939
↑ Barts Fair held in old horse bus in the Times newspaper, London, 6 July 1939
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