Ditchling mother finds baby daughter 41 years after stillborn

Catharine Robinson, from Ditchling, had a perfectly healthy pregnancy, but her baby, known only as ‘Baby Robinson’ was overdue and died before childbirth in Cuckfield Hospital.

The baby was taken away before Catharine held or even saw her, and she was not told where her daughter was buried.

But after 41 years she decided to rekindle attempts to find her child, and with help from funeral directors P&S Gallagher and West Sussex Archives, she discovered her daughter was buried at Holy Trinity Church in Cuckfield.

“I’ll never forget hearing ‘Mrs Robinson, I have found your baby’, I was very emotional,” Catharine said.

She had tried to locate baby Robinson many times over the years, and never stopped thinking about the baby.

But she was told there were no records of her.

Catharine continued: “It was different in those days. She was taken away and I did not hold or see her and we were never told what had happened to her, although I seem to remember that my husband was told that they had buried her in a man’s coffin. As you can imagine it was a very sad time but things were different 41 years ago,” she said.

Catharine was inspired to search for Baby Robinson at a Safari Supper at St Margaret’s Church, Ditchling.