Over three years, I studied at the University of Wolverhampton, always curious about the history behind the names of the buildings, especially when the names belonged to women. It turns out, Mary Seacole is a case of intersectionality.
Mary Seacole was a Jamaican herbalist from the 19th century. However, she was born into slavery. Her mother was black, and her father was a white Scottish army officer, which made her a 'free person.’
During this era, Jamaica was a British colony, and the institution of slavery commenced in 1494 with Christopher Columbus' arrival. Initially, Spanish colonization enslaved the indigenous Arawak population, but as their numbers dwindled due to disease and mistreatment, the Spanish turned to African slaves to work on plantations.
Jamaica changed hands between Spain and Britain several times during the 17th century, ultimately falling under British control in 1655. It soon became one of the most significant sugar-producing colonies in the British Empire. The sugar industry was immensely profitable but relied heavily on the brutal exploitation of African slaves. The conditions were deplorable, and the brutality inflicted upon the enslaved population led to a high mortality rate due to overwork, disease, and mistreatment.
The abolitionist movement in Britain gained momentum in the late 18th century, coinciding with the growing industrialization and the increasing demand for consumer markets and low-cost labour. This momentum eventually led to the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade in 1807 and the complete abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire in 1833. In Jamaica, enslaved people were granted their freedom, but this liberation was followed by a period of apprenticeship during which they were obligated to work for their former masters for a specified number of years before gaining full freedom in 1838.
Despite their newfound freedom, many formerly enslaved individuals in Jamaica encountered economic challenges and continued to work on plantations, often under exploitative conditions. The legacy of slavery, marked by enduring social and economic disparities, has had a profound and lasting impact on Jamaican society, as well as part of the broader story of the African diaspora and the struggle for freedom and equality.
Behind every successful woman, there is one who held her back, and it's often said that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Mary Seacole's mother operated Blundell Hall, a well-respected lodging house in Kingston, Jamaica's capital city. She was not only a Jamaican doctor but also a caregiver who tended to enslaved African people, British soldiers working on the island, and other lodgers who fell ill. Furthermore, she was a healer who imparted many of her skills to Mary, teaching her traditional Jamaican medicinal practices.
Mary showed a keen interest in learning from an early age. She eagerly put her knowledge to use on her dolls, dogs, cats, and even herself. She would dress wounds and apply bandages to her dolls and pets, honing her caregiving skills until she was old enough to care for people.
In the 1800s, diseases like cholera, typhoid, tuberculosis, and malaria afflicted people, causing severe illnesses. At the young age of 12, in 1818, Mary began assisting in running the boarding house. Many of the guests were sick or injured soldiers who needed care.
Three years later, she travelled to England with relatives and stayed for about a year. This experience provided her with an opportunity to gain knowledge about modern European medicine, which complemented her training in traditional Caribbean healing techniques.
Mary returned to London at the age of 17, this time on her own, and remained there for two years. Despite facing blatant racism, she persevered in her pursuit of knowledge. In 1825, she embarked on journeys to Cuba, Haiti, and the Bahamas, and in 1826, she returned to Jamaica to nurse her patroness during a lengthy illness. Mary's approach to healing was rooted in natural remedies, utilizing plants, herbs, and spices to treat people.
In 1850, Mary played a crucial role in caring for victims of the Kingston cholera epidemic. The following year, she travelled to Panama, where her skills were once again in high demand due to an outbreak of the disease in the town of Cruces.
In 1853, she returned to Jamaica, where she selflessly cared for victims of a yellow fever epidemic. Her expertise did not go unnoticed, and medical authorities invited her to supervise nursing services at Up-Park in Kingston, which served as the British Army's headquarters. Additionally, she reorganized New Blundell Hall, her mother's former lodging house that had been rebuilt into a hospital.
Although Mary had no children of her own, she formed strong maternal bonds with the soldiers she cared for, and her deep compassion and dedication would eventually lead her to the Crimea (now a part of Ukraine) during the Crimean War.
The Crimean War took place from October 1853 until February 1856. Crimea held significant strategic importance for both European and Asian powers, as it controlled the overland routes to India.
The war was fought by a coalition that included Britain, against the Russian Empire. Recognizing the dire need for medical assistance among wounded soldiers in Crimea, Mary travelled to England and approached the British War Office with a request to serve as an army nurse in the region. Despite the pressing need, her request was denied.
It's possible that Mary Seacole's race played a role in her inability to secure a nursing position in Crimea, although this remains uncertain. Notably, Seacole never identified herself as black. Additionally, there were other factors working against her: she never submitted a formal application, lacked hospital experience, and was older than the typical age for nursing candidates.
Undeterred by her initial rejection, Mary Seacole was determined to make a difference. She financed her own journey to Crimea and established the British Hotel, which served as a sanctuary for sick and recovering soldiers near Balaclava, in close proximity to the battlefield.
Mary's dedication led her to visit the battlefield, even at times when it was under fire, to provide care to the wounded. Her compassionate and selfless nursing earned her the endearing nickname 'Mother Seacole' from the soldiers she cared for. During this time, Mary Seacole became widely renowned in Britain, attaining a level of fame comparable to that of Florence Nightingale, who operated a famous military hospital far from the frontline in Scutari (now called Üsküdar, just outside the Turkish city of Istanbul).
When the war came to an end, Mary returned to Britain with very little money and in poor health. However, soldiers who had witnessed her selfless care wrote letters to newspapers, extolling her remarkable deeds. Those who admired her work generously donated to support her.
In 1857, a remarkable fundraising gala was organized in her honour, spanning over four nights on the banks of the River Thames. An astounding 80,000 people attended the event. During the same year, Mary Seacole published her autobiography, 'The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands,' which swiftly became a bestseller. Notably, it was one of the first travel memoirs ever published by a black woman, and it catered to a popular audience hungry for tales from the Crimean War.
Mary Seacole passed away in London in 1881, and for nearly a century, her legacy faded from the pages of history. However, her contributions were not forgotten. The government of Jamaica posthumously awarded her the Order of Merit, and in the United Kingdom, she was celebrated as a 'Black Briton.'
In 1954, on the 100th anniversary of the Crimean War, the Jamaican General Trained Nurses’ Association (now the Jamaican Nurses’ Association) honoured her memory by naming their headquarters the Mary Seacole House. In the early 1970s, this group took the initiative to restore her gravestone at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Cemetery in Kensal Green, London.
Today, Mary Seacole's legacy is commemorated in various ways. There is a Mary Seacole Ward at Kingston General Hospital, and in 1990, Jamaica awarded her the Order of Merit, the country’s third-highest honour. Her grave in North West London became a site of pilgrimage for Caribbean nurses, and local MPs promised to raise funds for a statue in her honour.
In 2003, a painting of Mary Seacole was discovered in a rummage sale and now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery. The year 2004 saw her recognized as the Greatest Black Briton, and Lord Soley spearheaded the campaign for a statue after leaving the House of Commons. Finally, in 2016, a statue was unveiled in her honour on the grounds of St Thomas’ Hospital on London’s Southbank.
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