Karen Waterton, who was originally given the name Elizabeth Rylands, was wrapped in oilskins and placed in a cardboard box before being left on the steps of No 61 Grafton Street, Manchester when she was five days old.
At the time, this particular street was known as “Little Ireland” due to the high volume of Irish residents and according to DNA results, Karen is 86% Irish.
Found at midnight, the police searched for the birth mother but to no avail. Placed in a children’s home for five months Karen was placed in foster care and then subsequently adopted.
Talking to Irish TV’s Out and About in Manchester, the 57-year-old said: “I was taken straight away to the Princess Christian Children’s Home in Fallowfield,” Elizabeth told Irish TV’s Out and About in Manchester programme. “I lived there from the end of March until August of 1958 when I was fostered and later adopted by the same people.
However, while she has always known she was adopted, Karen was initially led to believe that her biological parents had died in a plane crash, until recently.
Hoping to find out about who her birth mum is, she says she “can’t even allow [herself] to think about it.”
"Given my background, perhaps it is no surprise that I am a private person, preferring to be a listening ear to friends rather than share my own experiences. It was, therefore, a massive step for me to go public about my own life. I have found my journey an emotional roller coaster but already over a three-month period we are piecing together a story.”
We sincerely hope Karen finds what she is looking for.
