Many practitioner-historians have noted the importance of the 1902 Midwives Act in securing the development of professional midwifery in England and Wales before the creation of the National Health Service. Other scholars contest the view that 1902-1948 represented a golden age for independent, autonomous midwifery and point instead to the constraints imposed by an act designed to protect the public rather than practitioners. This article suggests that the historiography has been more concerned with the campaign for the Midwives Act than its implementation. This approach tends to underestimate its impact on the ground. Most local case studies focus on interwar legislation concerned with midwifery services, which also form the basis for important work comparing the situation in the United Kingdom with international developments. There is an earlier history that needs to be considered and this study, drawing on evidence from Bradford, shows the real impetus the 1902 Act gave to a process of assessing problems, developing services and creating a new role for a variety of female practitioners.