A woman who was abandoned in a cardboard box as a baby has launched a fresh appeal for information on her birth parents.
Elizabeth Ryland (57) was only five days old when she was discovered by a passer-by on Grafton Street, Manchester, in March, 1958. The 5 pounds 8 ounce baby was taken to a children's home, where she was later adopted. While she was well dressed and wrapped in an oilskin, there was no documentation left with the child.
The area where the baby was abandoned (on the steps of the Royal Ancient Order of Buffaloes) is a part of Manchester commonly referred to as “Little Ireland”.
Time passed and Elizabeth grew up, giving birth to two daughters, Lauren (30) and Sarah (28), before her curiosity began to intensify. In 2009, she took a DNA test, which revealed she was 86 per cent Irish, helping to narrow her search for her birth parents.
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Elizabeth with her adoptive mother[/caption]
"My birth parents might not know that I was abandoned," Elizabeth told the
Irish Independent. "They could have come over to Manchester at a young age, had the child and been told 'the baby is being taken care of' or 'the baby will be adopted'.
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Elizabeth at the spot where she was found[/caption]
"I might have been abandoned by them but you can't really assume that,"
Can you help Elizabeth trace her birth parents? Email elizabethrylands58@gmail.com to get in touch.
