An apology has been issued by the Church of England after a number of babies were buried in unmarked graves in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, due to “poor care” from a church run maternity home in Northampton, an investigation by ITV has found.

St Saviours was a maternity home for unmarried mothers, operated by the Church of England post World War Two.

ITV News has carried out a nationwide investigation looking into burial records linked to homes where unmarried mothers were sent, claiming “infants were taken from their mothers or died through poor care”.

The investigation identified 11 unmarked graves from St Saviours, contributing to a total of nearly 200 babies buried in mass burial grounds across the country, which could be the “tip of the iceberg”.

ITV has found a huge number of babies were buried in unmarked graves from 1950 onwards, relating to church run homes for unmarried mothers, including in Northampton. Photo: ITV.

placeholder image — ITV has found a huge number of babies were buried in unmarked graves from 1950 onwards, relating to church run homes for unmarried mothers, including in Northampton. Photo: ITV.

ITV News says the records do not say how the babies died, but experts say that “infant mortality rates were high within these institutions because mothers and babies were isolated and cut off from the rest of the health and social care system".

Peterborough Diocese, which represents the Church of England in Northamptonshire, has now issued a statement.

The statement says: “We are sincerely sorry for the pain and loss suffered by those affected by their time at St Saviours Home and acknowledge the hurt and distress that continues to be endured by those who felt they had no option but to have their children adopted or whose babies were buried in unmarked graves.

“We invite anyone who feels they have been harmed or affected by this to come forward and speak to our safeguarding team here: https://peterborough-diocese.org.uk/safeguarding/.

“Support is available through Safe Spaces, an independent service offering confidential support to survivors of Church-related abuse. You can contact Safe Spaces by phone at 0300 303 1056 or by visiting their website at https://safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk.”

Father Oliver Coss, from Northampton’s All Saints Church, has also reacted to the news.

Posting on X, he said: “I've spent a deeply unhappy period discovering about St Saviour's Northampton this morning. What has come to light is deeply shocking. In the post @PeterboroDio makes a meaningful offer of support, or signposting to independent support, for those affected.

"And in case it doesn't go without saying, the parishes of Northampton Deanery are there to support people too, including our clergy and parish safeguarding officers.”