Mary Seacole 1805-81

Mary Seacole’s Life
Family
Education
Marriage and children
Working life
Achievements
Death and remembrance
For more information...

She was born Mary Jane Grant in Kingston, the capital of Jamaica, in 1805.

Her mother was a free black Jamaican and her father was a white Scottish army officer. She had a brother called Edward and a sister called Louisa.

We do not know if Mary went to school. Her mother ran a boarding house and was also ‘doctress’. This was a person who attended to wounds, mended broken bones and treated ill people by making their own medicines from plants. Mary's mother had not taken any official exams but had learnt her skills from older Jamaican doctors. Mary learnt a lot about healing sick people by watching her mother and helping her to look after her patients. She also learned from the army doctors who stayed at her mother’s boarding house. She learned how to treat people with dreadful diseases like cholera and yellow fever.

In 1836 Mary married an English army officer called Edwin Horatio Seacole and became Mrs Seacole. A few years later her husband became ill and although Mary nursed him he died. They did not have any children.

Mary wanted to be a doctor and also to travel. As a young girl she came to London to visit twice. In Jamaica she helped her mother to run the boarding house. She also travelled to other islands in the Caribbean and learned about the plants that healers used there. In 1850 she went to stay with her brother Edward in Panama and coped with a cholera epidemic all on her own. Back in Jamaica she heard from her army friends about the Crimean War.

Mary went to London and offered to go to the Crimea to work as a nurse. Florence Nightingale needed 40 nurses to work in the hospital there. Although Mary brought letters from doctors who knew about her work she was told she was not needed.

In 1855 she went anyway, using her own money to pay for the long sea journey. She took food and other useful things with her. She set up "The British hotel" where soldiers could buy food and drink. Mary looked after them. She helped the wounded soldiers on the battlefield. They called her ‘Mother Seacole’. She was given many medals for the work she did.

When the war ended in 1856 she came back to London. Mary was famous. People in Britain had read in the newspaper about her work as a nurse. She had no money but lots of friends. They held a special concert for her. She wrote her life story, ‘The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands’.

She died in London on May 14th 1881 and is buried at St Mary's Catholic cemetery, Kensal Green.

Today she is remembered as one of the world’s most famous nurses.

In February 2004 Mary Seacole was voted winner of the 100 Great Black Britons.

Susan Eddisford
March 2004

Visit the Museum to see...

A copy of Mary Seacole’s book, the ‘Wonderful Adventures of Mary Seacole’ in The Crimea case of the World City galleries. Listen to Mary Seacole in the ‘Listen to the Past’ audios.

Find these books in your local library:

Malam, J., Mary Seacole (Evans Brothers Ltd, London, 1999)

Castor, H., Mary Seacole (Franklin Watts, London, 1999)

Godwin, s., Mary Seacole. A Story from the Crimean War (Hodder Wayland, London, 2001)

Moorcroft, C. & Magnusson M., Mary Seacole (4Learning Ltd, London 1998)

On the internet...

BBC Historic Figures: Mary Seacole 

Mary Seacole's life and achievements 

100 Great Black Britons