Share Illustrations of a medieval 12th century girdle (left) and a 15th century girdle by Percy Anderson for English fashion writer Eliza Davis’ 1906 book Costume Fanciful, Historical and Theatrical. PUBLIC DOMAIN Medieval girdle likely part of birthing ritual Fri, 12 March 2021 A 15th century “birthing girdle”, inscribed with prayers and a well-thumbed crucifix image, was likely actively used in medieval childbirth, according to new research on one of the few such sashes not destroyed by time or religious revolutionaries. With a delicate technique that uses the crumbs from plastic eraser rubbings, scientists were able to identify biological marks on the fragile sheepskin parchment.