Mary Toft ( nÃ e Denyer ) ( c. 1701 â `` 1763 ) , also called Mary Tofts , was an English woman from Godalming , Surrey . In 1726 , she became the subject of a lot of dispute when she tricked doctors into believing that she had given birth to rabbits . Mary Toft ( nÃ e Denyer ; c. 1701 â `` 1763 ) , also spelled Tofts , was an English woman from Godalming , Surrey , who in 1726 became the subject of considerable controversy when she tricked doctors into believing that she had given birth to rabbits .