Most children born to one woman

Simon says ... There'll be no kidding around with this one, I'll get straight to the truth of the matter.

The most prolific mother in history was a Russian peasant who had 69 children in the 18th century, 67 of which survived infancy.

The woman, whose first name is not recorded, was the first wife of Feodor Vassilyev (1707-1782) of Shuya, near Moscow in Russia.

Between 1725 and 1765, she endured 27 multiple births, which included 16 pairs of twins, seven sets of triplets, and four sets of quadruplets.

The modern world record for giving birth is held by Leontina Albina from San Antonio, Chile. Now in her mid-sixties, she claims to be the mother of 64 children. Of these, 55 are documented, birth certificates apparently being something of a less-than-serious concern in Chile.

She is listed in the 1999 Guinness Book of Records, but mysteriously disappears from later editions, perhaps because her claim cannot be substantiated.

In case anyone is interested, the most prolific father of all time is believed to be the last Sharifian Emperor of Morocco, Mulai Ismail (1646-1727).

In 1703 he had at least 342 daughters and 525 sons and by 1721 he was reputed to have 700 male descendents. He should be grateful the Child Support Agency was not around at the time.

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