text: mary seacole mary jane seacole ( née grant ; 1805 – 14 may 1881 ) was a jamaican woman of scottish and african descent who set up a " british hotel " behind the lines during the crimean war . she described this as " a mess - table and comfortable quarters for sick and convalescent officers " , and provided succour for wounded servicemen on the battlefield . she was posthumously awarded the jamaican order of merit in 1991 . in 2004 she was voted the greatest black briton . she acquired knowledge of herbal medicine in the caribbean . when the crimean war broke out , she applied to the war office to assist but was refused . she travelled independently and set up her hotel and assisted battlefield wounded . she became extremely popular among service personnel who raised money for her when she faced destitution after the war . after her death , she was forgotten for almost a century , but today is celebrated as a woman who successfully combatted racial prejudice . her biography , wonderful adventures of mrs. seacole in many lands ( 1857 ) , is one of the earliest autobiographies of a mixed - race woman , although some aspects of its accuracy have been questioned . it has been claimed that seacole 's achievements have been exaggerated for political reasons . the erection of a statue of her at st thomas ' hospital , london on 30 june 2016 , describing her as a " pioneer nurse " , has generated controversy . further controversy broke out in the united kingdom late in 2012 over reports of a proposal to remove her from the country 's national curriculum . early life , 1805 – 25 mary seacole was born mary jane grant in kingston , jamaica , the daughter of james grant a scottish soldier in the british army , a lieutenant , and a free jamaican woman . her mother was a " " , a healer who used traditional caribbean and african herbal remedies . she ran blundell hall , a boarding house at 7 east street , considered one of the best hotels in all kingston . here seacole acquired her nursing skills . seacole 's autobiography states that her early experiments in medicine were based on what she learned from her mother while ministering to a doll , then progressing to pets , before helping her mother treat humans . seacole was proud of her scottish ancestry and called herself a creole , a term that was commonly used in a racially neutral sense or to refer to the children of white settlers with indigenous women . in her autobiography , the wonderful adventures of mrs. seacole , she records her bloodline thus : " i am a creole , and have good scots blood coursing through my veins . my father was a soldier of an old scottish family . " legally , she was classified as a mulatto , a multiracial person with limited political rights ; robinson speculates that she may technically have been a . seacole emphasises her personal vigour in her autobiography , distancing herself from the contemporary stereotype of the " lazy creole " , she was proud of her black ancestry , writing , " i have a few shades of deeper brown upon my skin which shows me related - and i am proud of the relationship - to those poor mortals whom you once held enslaved , and whose bodies america still owns . " the west indies were an outpost of the british empire in the late 18th century , and in the 1790s one - third of britain 's foreign trade was with the british west indies . britain 's economic interests were protected by a massive military presence , with 69 line infantry regiments serving there between 1793 and 1801 , and another 24 between 1803 and 1815 . seacole spent some years in the household of an elderly woman , whom she called her " kind patroness " , before returning to her mother . she was treated as a member of her patroness 's family and received a good education . as the educated daughter of a scottish officer and a free black woman with a respectable business , seacole would have held a high position in jamaican society . in about 1821 , seacole visited london , stayed for a year , and visited relatives , the merchant henriques family . although london had a number of black people , she records that a companion , a west indian with skin darker than her own " dusky " shades , was taunted by children . seacole herself was " only a little brown " , nearly white according to . she returned to london approximately a year later , bringing a " large stock of west indian pickles and preserves for sale " . her later travels would be as an " unprotected " woman , without a chaperone or sponsor — an unusual practice . seacole returned to jamaica in 1825 . in the caribbean , 1826 – 51 after returning to jamaica , seacole nursed her " old indulgent patroness " through an illness , finally returning to the family home at blundell hall after the death of her patroness a few years later . seacole then worked alongside her mother , occasionally being called to assist at the british army hospital at up - park camp . caribbean , visiting the british colony of new providence in the bahamas , the spanish colony of cuba , and the new republic of haiti . seacole records these travels , but omits mention of significant current events , such as the christmas rebellion in jamaica of 1831 , the partial abolition of slavery in 1834 , and the full abolition of slavery in 1838 . she married edwin horatio hamilton seacole in kingston on 10 november 1836 . her marriage , from betrothal to widowhood , is described in just nine lines at the conclusion of the first chapter of her autobiography . his middle names are intriguing : robinson reports the legend in the seacole family that edwin was an illegitimate son of horatio nelson , 1st viscount nelson and his mistress emma , lady hamilton , who was adopted by thomas , a local " surgeon , apothecary and man midwife " ( seacole 's will indicates that horatio seacole was nelson 's godson : she left a diamond ring to her friend , lord rokeby , " given to my late husband by his godfather viscount nelson " , but there was no mention of this godson in nelson 's own will or its codicils . ) edwin was a merchant and seems to have had a poor constitution . the newly married couple moved to black river and opened a provisions store which failed to prosper . they returned to blundell hall in the early 1840s . during 1843 and 1844 , seacole suffered a series of personal disasters . she and her family lost much of the boarding house in a fire in kingston on 29 august 1843 . blundell hall burned down , and was replaced by new blundell hall , which was described as " better than before " . then her husband died in october 1844 , followed by her mother . after a period of grief , in which seacole says she did not stir for days , she composed herself , " turned a bold front to fortune " , and assumed the management of her mother 's hotel . she put her rapid recovery down to her hot creole blood , blunting the " sharp edge of [ her ] grief " sooner than europeans who she thought " nurse their woe secretly in their hearts " . she absorbed herself in work , declining many offers of marriage . she later became widely known and respected , particularly among the european military visitors to jamaica who often stayed at blundell hall . she treated patients in the cholera epidemic of 1850 , which killed some 32 , 000 jamaicans . seacole attributed the outbreak to infection brought on a steamer from new orleans , louisiana , demonstrating knowledge of contagion theory . this first - hand experience would benefit her during the next five years . in central america , 1851 – 54 in 1850 , seacole 's half - brother edward moved to cruces , panama , which was then part of new granada . there , approximately 45 miles ( 72 km ) up the chagres river from the coast , he followed the family trade by establishing the independent hotel to accommodate the many travellers between the eastern and western coasts of the united states ( the number of travellers had increased enormously , as part of the 1849 california gold rush ) . cruces was the limit of navigability of the chagres river during the rainy season , which lasts from june to december . travellers would ride on donkeys approximately 20 miles ( 32 km ) along the las cruces trail from panama city on the pacific ocean coast to cruces , and then 45 miles ( 72 km ) down - river to the atlantic ocean at chagres ( or vice versa ) . in the dry season , the river subsided , and travellers would switch from land to the river a few miles farther downstream , at gorgona most of these settlements have now been submerged by gatun lake , formed as part of the panama canal . in 1851 , seacole travelled to cruces to visit her brother . shortly after her arrival , the town was struck by cholera , a disease which had reached panama in 1849 . seacole was on hand to treat the first victim , who survived , which established seacole 's reputation and brought her a succession of patients as the infection spread . the rich paid , but she treated the poor for free . many , both rich and poor , succumbed . she eschewed opium , preferring mustard rubs and poultices , the laxative calomel ( mercuric chloride ) , sugars of lead ( lead ( ii ) acetate ) , and rehydration with water boiled with cinnamon . while her preparations had moderate success , she faced little competition , the only other treatments coming from a " timid little dentist " , who was an inexperienced doctor sent by the panamanian government , and the roman catholic church . the epidemic raged through the population . seacole later expressed exasperation at their feeble resistance , claiming they " bowed down before the plague in slavish despair " . she performed an autopsy on an orphan child for whom she had cared , which gave her " decidedly useful " new knowledge . towards the end of the epidemic , seacole herself sickened but survived . cholera was to return again : ulysses s. grant passed through cruces in july , 1852 , on military duty ; a hundred and twenty men , a third of his party , died of the disease there or shortly afterwards en route to panama city . despite the problems of disease and climate , panama remained the favoured route between the coasts of the united states . seeing a business opportunity , seacole opened the british hotel , which was a restaurant rather than an hotel . she described it as a " tumble down hut , " with two rooms , the smaller one to be her bedroom , the larger one to serve up to 50 diners . she soon added the services of a barber . as the wet season ended in early 1852 , seacole joined other traders in cruces in packing up to move to gorgona . she records a white american giving a speech at a leaving dinner in which he wished that " god bless the best woman he ever made " and asked the listeners to join with him in rejoicing that " she 's so many shades removed from being entirely black " . he went on to say that " if we could bleach her by any means we would [ ... ] and thus make her acceptable in any company [ , ] as she deserves to be " . seacole replied firmly that she did not " appreciate your friend 's kind wishes with respect to my complexion . if it had been as dark as any nigger 's , i should have been just as happy and just as useful , and as much respected by those whose respect i value . " she declined the offer of " bleaching " and drank " to you and the general reformation of american manners " . salih notes the use of american pidgin , against seacole 's clear english , as representational of a supposed white moral and intellectual superiority . seacole also comments on the positions of responsibility taken on by escaped american slaves in panama , as well as in the priesthood , the army , and public offices , commenting that " it is wonderful to see how freedom and equality elevate men " . she also records an antipathy between panamanians and americans , which she attributes in part to the fact that so many of the former had once been slaves of the latter . in gorgona , seacole briefly ran a woman - only hotel . in late 1852 , she travelled home to jamaica . the journey was delayed and difficult when she encountered racial discrimination while trying to book passage on an american ship . she was forced to wait for a later british boat . in 1853 , soon after arriving home , seacole was asked by the jamaican medical authorities to minister to victims of a severe outbreak of yellow fever . she found that she could do little , because the epidemic was so severe . her memoirs state that her own boarding house was full of sufferers and she saw many of them die . although she wrote , " i was sent for by the medical authorities to provide nurses for the sick at up - park camp , " she did not claim to bring nurses with her when she went . she left her sister with some nurses at her house , went to the camp ( about a mile , or 1 . 6 km , from kingston ) , " and did my best , but it was little we could do to mitigate the severity of the epidemic . " seacole returned to panama in early 1854 to finalise her business affairs , and three months later moved to the new granada mining gold company establishment at fort bowen mine some 70 miles ( 110 km ) away near . the superintendent , thomas day , was related to her late husband . seacole had read newspaper reports of the outbreak of war against russia before she left jamaica , and news of the escalating crimean war reached her in panama . she determined to travel to england to volunteer as a nurse , to experience the " pomp , pride and circumstance of glorious war " as she described it in chapter i of her autobiography . crimean war , 1854 – 56 the crimean war lasted from october 1853 until 1 april 1856 and was fought between the russian empire and an alliance of the united kingdom , france , the kingdom of sardinia , and the ottoman empire . the majority of the conflict took place on the crimean peninsula in the black sea and turkey . many thousands of troops from all the countries involved were drafted to the area , and disease broke out almost immediately . hundreds perished , mostly from cholera . hundreds more would die waiting to be shipped out , or on the voyage . their prospects were little better when they arrived at the poorly staffed , unsanitary and overcrowded hospitals which were the only medical provision for the wounded . in britain , a trenchant letter in the times on 14 october triggered sidney herbert , secretary of state for war , to approach florence nightingale to form a detachment of nurses to be sent to the hospital to save lives . interviews were quickly held , suitable candidates selected , and nightingale left for turkey on 21 october . seacole travelled from navy bay in panama to england , initially to deal with her investments in gold - mining businesses . she then attempted to join the second contingent of nurses to the crimea . she applied to the war office and other government offices , but arrangements for departure were already underway . in her memoir , she wrote that she brought " ample testimony " of her experience in nursing , but the only example officially cited was that of a former medical officer of the west granada gold - mining company . she also applied to the crimean fund , a fund raised by public subscription to support the wounded in crimea , for sponsorship to travel there , but she again met with refusal . seacole finally resolved to travel to crimea using her own resources and to open the british hotel . business cards were printed and sent ahead to announce her intention to open an establishment , to be called the " british hotel " , near balaclava , which would be " a mess - table and comfortable quarters for sick and convalescent officers " . shortly afterwards , her caribbean acquaintance , thomas day , arrived unexpectedly in london , and the two formed a partnership . they assembled a stock of supplies , and seacole embarked on the dutch screw - steamer hollander on 27 january 1855 on its maiden voyage , to constantinople . the ship called at malta , where seacole encountered a doctor who had recently left scutari . he wrote her a letter of introduction to nightingale . seacole visited nightingale at the barrack hospital in scutari , where she asked for a bed for the night , because she intended to travel to balaclava the next day to join her business partner . in her memoirs , she reported that her meeting with nightingale was friendly , with nightingale asking " what do you want , mrs. seacole ? anything we can do for you ? if it lies in my power , i shall be very happy . " seacole told her of her " dread of the night journey by " and the improbability of being able to find the hollander in the dark . a bed was then found for her and breakfast sent her in the morning , with a " kind message " from mrs. bracebridge , nightingale 's helper . a footnote in the memoir states that seacole subsequently " saw much of miss nightingale at balaclava , " but no further meetings are recorded in the text . after transferring most of her stores to the transport ship albatross , with the remainder following on the nonpareil , she set out on the four - day voyage to the british bridgehead into crimea at balaclava . lacking proper building materials , seacole gathered abandoned metal and wood in her spare moments , with a view to using the debris to build her hotel . she found a site for the hotel at a place she christened spring hill , near kadikoi , some 3 ½ miles ( 5 . 6 km ) along the main british supply road from balaclava to the british camp near sevastopol , and within a mile of the british headquarters . the hotel was built from the salvaged driftwood , packing cases , iron sheets , and salvaged architectural items such as glass doors and window - frames , from the village of kamara , using hired local labour . the new british hotel opened in march 1855 . an early visitor was alexis soyer , a noted french chef who had travelled to crimea to help improve the diet of british soldiers . he records meeting seacole in his 1857 work a culinary campaign and describes seacole as " an old dame of a jovial appearance , but a few shades darker than the white lily " . seacole requested soyer 's advice on how to manage her business , and was advised to concentrate on food and beverage service , and not to have beds for visitors because the few either slept on board ships in the harbour or in tents in the camp . the hotel was completed in july at a total cost of £ 800 . it included a building made of iron , containing a main room with counters and shelves and storage above , an attached kitchen , two wooden sleeping huts , outhouses , and an enclosed stable - yard . the building was stocked with provisions shipped from london and constantinople , as well as local purchases from the british camp near kadikoi and the french camp at nearby . seacole sold anything -- " from a needle to an anchor " — to army officers and visiting sightseers . meals were served at the hotel , cooked by two black cooks , and the kitchen also provided outside catering . despite constant thefts , particularly of livestock , seacole 's establishment prospered . chapter xiv of wonderful adventures describes the meals and supplies provided to officers . they were closed at 8 pm daily and on sundays . seacole did some of the cooking herself : " whenever i had a few leisure moments , i used to wash my hands , roll up my sleeves , and roll out pastry . " when called to " dispense medications , " she did so . soyer was a frequent visitor , and praised seacole 's offerings , noting that she offered him champagne on his first visit . the special correspondent of the times newspaper wrote approvingly of her work : " ... mrs. seacole ... doctors and cures all manner of men with extraordinary success . she is always in attendance near the battle - field to aid the wounded , and has earned many a poor fellow ’ s blessings . " to soyer , near the time of departure , florence nightingale acknowledged favourable views of seacole , consistent with their one known meeting in scutari . soyer 's remarks — he knew both women — show pleasantness on both sides . seacole told him of her encounter with nightingale at the barrack hospital : " you must know , m soyer , that miss nightingale is very fond of me . when i passed through scutari , she very kindly gave me board and lodging . " when he related seacole 's inquiries to nightingale , she replied " with a smile : ' i should like to see her before she leaves , as i hear she has done a deal of good for the poor soldiers . ' " nightingale , however , did not want her nurses associating with seacole , as she wrote to her brother - in - law . seacole often went out to the troops as a sutler , selling her provisions near the british camp at kadikoi , and attending to casualties brought out from the trenches around sevastopol or from the tchernaya valley . she was widely known to the british army as " mother seacole " . apart from serving officers at the british hotel , seacole also provided catering for spectators at the battles , and spent time on cathcart 's hill , some 3 ½ miles ( 5 . 6 km ) north of the british hotel , as an observer . on one occasion , attending wounded troops under fire , she dislocated her right thumb , an injury which never healed entirely . in a dispatch written on 14 september 1855 , william howard russell , special correspondent of the times , wrote that she was a " warm and successful physician , who doctors and cures all manner of men with extraordinary success . she is always in attendance near the battle - field to aid the wounded and has earned many a poor fellow 's blessing . " russell also wrote that she " redeemed the name of sutler " , and another that she was " both a miss nightingale and a [ chef ] " . seacole made a point of wearing brightly coloured , and highly conspicuous , clothing — often bright blue , or yellow , with ribbons in contrasting colours . while lady alicia blackwood later recalled that seacole had " ... personally spared no pains and no exertion to visit the field of woe , and minister with her own hands such things as could comfort or alleviate the suffering of those around her ; freely giving to such as could not pay ... " . in late august , seacole was on the route to cathcart 's hill for the final assault on sevastopol on 7 september 1855 . french troops led the storming , but the british were beaten back . by dawn on sunday 9 september , the city was burning out of control , and it was clear that it had fallen : the russians retreated to fortifications to the north of the harbour . later in the day , seacole fulfilled a bet , and became the first british woman to enter sevastopol after it fell . having obtained a pass , she toured the broken town , bearing refreshments and visiting the crowded hospital by the docks , containing thousands of dead and dying russians . her foreign appearance led to her being stopped by french looters , but she was rescued by a passing officer . she looted some items from the city , including a church bell , an altar candle , and a three - metre ( 10 ft ) long painting of the madonna . after the fall of sevastopol , hostilities continued in a desultory fashion . the business of seacole and day prospered in the interim period , with the officers taking the opportunity to enjoy themselves in the quieter days . there were theatrical performances and horse - racing events for which seacole provided catering . seacole was joined by a 14 - year - old girl , sarah , also known as sally . soyer described her as " the egyptian beauty , mrs seacole 's daughter sarah " , with blue eyes and dark hair . nightingale alleged that sarah was the illegitimate offspring of seacole and colonel henry bunbury . however , there is no evidence that bunbury met seacole , or even visited jamaica , at a time when she would have been nursing her ailing husband . speculates that thomas day could have been sarah 's father , pointing to the unlikely coincidences of their meeting in panama and then in england , and their unusual business partnership in crimea . peace talks began in paris in early 1856 , and friendly relations opened between the allies and the russians , with a lively trade across the river tchernaya . the treaty of paris was signed on 30 march 1856 , after which the soldiers left crimea . seacole was in a difficult financial position , her business was full of unsalable provisions , new goods were arriving daily , and creditors were demanding payment . she attempted to sell as much as possible before the soldiers left , but she was forced to auction many expensive goods for lower - than - expected prices to the russians who were returning to their homes . the evacuation of the allied armies was formally completed at balaclava on 9 july 1856 , with seacole " ... conspicuous in the foreground ... dressed in a plaid riding - habit ... " . seacole was one of the last to leave crimea , returning to england " poorer than [ she ] left it " . her contribution to the welfare of the british troops in the crimea is summed up by sociology professor lynn mcdonald : " mary seacole , although never the ' black british nurse ' she is claimed to have been , was a successful mixed - race immigrant to britain . she led an adventurous life , and her memoir of 1857 is still a lively read . she was kind and generous . she made friends of her customers , army and navy officers , who came to her rescue with a fund when she was declared bankrupt . while her cures have been vastly exaggerated , she doubtless did what she could to ease suffering , when no effective cures existed . in epidemics pre - crimea , she said a comforting word to the dying and closed the eyes of the dead . during the crimean war , probably her greatest kindness was to serve hot tea and lemonade to cold , suffering soldiers awaiting transport to hospital on the wharf at balaclava . she deserves much credit for rising to the occasion , but her tea and lemonade did not save lives , pioneer nursing or advance health care . " back in london , 1856 – 60 after the end of the war , seacole returned to england destitute and in poor health . in the conclusion to her autobiography , she records that she " took the opportunity " to visit " yet other lands " on her return journey , although robinson attributes this to her impecunious state requiring a roundabout trip . she arrived in august 1856 , and considered setting up shop with day in aldershot , hampshire , but nothing materialised . she attended a celebratory dinner for 2 , 000 soldiers at royal surrey gardens in kennington on 25 august 1856 , at which nightingale was chief guest of honour . reports in the times on 26 august and news of the world on 31 august indicate that seacole was also fêted by the huge crowds , with two " burly " sergeants protecting her from the pressure of the crowd . however , creditors who had supplied her firm in crimea were in pursuit . she was forced to move to 1 , tavistock street , covent garden in increasingly dire financial straits . the bankruptcy court in street declared her bankrupt on 7 november 1856 . robinson speculates that seacole 's business problems may have been caused in part by her partner , day , who dabbled in horse trading and may have set up as an unofficial bank , cashing debts . at about this time , seacole began to wear military medals . these are mentioned in an account of her appearance in the bankruptcy court in november 1856 . a bust by george kelly , based on an original by count gleichen from around 1871 , depicts her wearing four medals , three of which have been identified as the british crimea medal , the french légion d 'honneur and the turkish order of the medjidie medal . robinson says that one is " apparently " a sardinian award ( sardinia having joined britain and france in supporting turkey against russia in the war ) . the jamaican daily gleaner stated in her obituary on 9 june 1881 that she had also received a russian medal , but it has not been identified . however , no formal notice of her award exists in the london gazette , and it seems unlikely that seacole was formally rewarded for her actions in crimea ; rather , she may have bought miniature or " dress " medals to display her support and affection for her " sons " in the army . seacole 's plight was highlighted in the british press . as a consequence a fund was set up , to which many prominent people donated money , and on 30 january 1857 , she and day were granted certificates discharging them from bankruptcy . day left for the antipodes to seek new opportunities , but seacole 's funds remained low . she moved from tavistock street to cheaper lodgings at 14 soho square in early 1857 , triggering a plea for subscriptions from punch on 2 may . further fund - raising kept seacole in the public eye . in may 1857 she wanted to travel to india , to minister to the wounded of the indian rebellion of 1857 , but she was dissuaded by both the new secretary of war , lord panmure , and her financial troubles . fund - raising activities included the " seacole fund grand military festival " , which was held at the royal surrey gardens , from monday 27 july to thursday 30 july 1857 . this successful event was supported by many military men , including major general lord rokeby ( who had commanded the 1st division in crimea ) and lord george paget ; over 1 , 000 artists performed , including 11 military bands and an orchestra conducted by louis antoine jullien , which was attended by a crowd of circa 40 , 000 . the one - shilling entrance charge was quintupled for the first night , and halved for the tuesday performance . however , production costs had been high and the royal surrey gardens company was itself having financial problems . it became insolvent immediately after the festival , and as a result seacole only received £ 57 , one quarter of the profits from the event . when eventually the financial affairs of the ruined company were resolved , in march 1858 , the indian mutiny was over . a 200 - page autobiographical account of her travels was published in july 1857 by james blackwood as wonderful adventures of mrs. seacole in many lands , the first autobiography written by a black woman in britain . priced at one shilling and six pence ( 1 / 6 ) a copy , the cover bears a striking portrait of seacole in red , yellow and black ink . robinson speculates that she dictated the work to an editor , identified in the book only as , who improved her grammar and orthography . in the work seacole deals with the first 39 years of her life in one short chapter . she then expends six chapters on her few years in panama , before using the following 12 chapters to detail her exploits in crimea . she avoids mention of the names of her parents and precise date of birth . a short final " conclusion " deals with her return to england , and lists supporters of her fund - raising effort , including rokeby , prince edward of saxe - weimar , the duke of wellington , the duke of newcastle , william russell , and other prominent men in the military . the book was dedicated to major - general lord rokeby , commander of the first division ; and william howard russell wrote as a preface , " i have witnessed her devotion and her courage ... and i trust that england will never forget one who has nursed her sick , who sought out her wounded to aid and succour them and who performed the last offices for some of her illustrious dead . " later life , 1860 – 81 seacole had joined the roman catholic church circa 1860 , and returned to a jamaica changed in her absence as it faced economic downturn . she became a prominent figure in the country . however , by 1867 she was again running short of money , and the seacole fund was resurrected in london , with illustrious new patrons , including the prince of wales , the duke of edinburgh , the duke of cambridge , and many other senior military officers . the fund burgeoned , and seacole was able to buy land on duke street in kingston , near new blundell hall , where she built a bungalow as her new home , plus a larger property to rent out . by 1870 , seacole was back in london , and robinson speculates that she was drawn back by the prospect of rendering medical assistance in the franco - prussian war . it seems likely that she approached sir harry verney ( the husband of florence nightingale 's sister ) member of parliament for buckingham who was closely involved in the british national society for the relief of the sick and wounded . it was at this time nightingale wrote her letter to verney insinuating that seacole had kept a " bad house " in crimea , and was responsible for " much drunkenness and improper conduct " . in london , seacole joined the periphery of the royal circle . prince victor of hohenlohe - langenburg ( a nephew of queen victoria ; as a young lieutenant he had been one of seacole 's customers in crimea ) carved a marble bust of her in 1871 that was exhibited at the royal academy summer exhibition in 1872 . seacole also became personal masseuse to the princess of wales who suffered with white leg and rheumatism . seacole died in 1881 at her home in paddington , london , the cause of death was noted as " apoplexy " . she left an estate valued at over £ 2 , 500 . after some specific legacies , many of exactly 19 guineas , the main beneficiary of her will was her sister , ( eliza ) louisa . lord rokeby , colonel hussey fane keane , and count gleichen ( three trustees of her fund ) were each left £ 50 ; count gleichen also received a diamond ring , said to have been given to seacole ’ s late husband by lord nelson . a short obituary was published in the times on 21 may 1881 . she was buried in st. mary 's roman catholic cemetery , harrow road , kensal green , london . recognition while well - known at the end of her life , seacole rapidly faded from public memory . her work in crimea was overshadowed by florence nightingale 's for many years . however , in recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in her and efforts to properly acknowledge her achievements . seacole has become a case study of racial attitudes and social injustices in britain in the nineteenth century . she was cited as an example of " hidden " black history in salman rushdie 's the satanic verses , like olaudah equiano : " see , here is mary seacole , who did as much in the crimea as another magic - lady , but , being dark , could scarce be seen for the flame of florence 's candle . " she has been better remembered in the caribbean , where she was posthumously awarded the jamaican order of merit in 1991 . the headquarters of the jamaican general trained nurses ' association was christened " mary seacole house " in 1954 , followed quickly by the naming of a hall of residence of the university of the west indies in mona , jamaica . a ward at kingston public hospital was also named in her memory . her grave was rediscovered in 1973 ; a service of was held on 20 november 1973 , and her impressive gravestone was also restored by the british commonwealth nurses ' war memorial fund and the vitae club . the centenary of her death was celebrated with a memorial service on 14 may 1981 . an english heritage blue plaque was erected by the greater london council at her residence in 157 george street , westminster , on 9 march 1985 , but it was removed in 1998 before the site was redeveloped . a " green plaque " was unveiled at 147 george street , in westminster , on 11 october 2005 . however , another blue plaque has since been positioned at 14 soho square , where she lived in 1857 . by the 21st century , seacole was much more prominent . several buildings and entities , mainly connected with health care , were named after her . in 2005 , boris johnson ( former mayor of london , then editor of the spectator ) wrote of learning about seacole from his daughter 's school pageant and speculated : " i find myself facing the grim possibility that it was my own education that was blinkered . " in 2007 seacole was introduced into the national curriculum , and her life story is taught at many primary schools in the uk alongside that of florence nightingale . she was voted into first place in an online poll of 100 great black britons in 2004 . the portrait identified as seacole in 2005 was used for one of ten first - class stamps showing important britons , to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the national portrait gallery . british buildings and organisations now commemorate her by name . one of the first was the mary seacole centre for nursing practice at thames valley university , which created the nhs specialist library for ethnicity and health , a web - based collection of research - based evidence and good practice information relating to the health needs of minority ethnic groups , and other resources relevant to multi - cultural health care . there is another mary seacole research centre , this one at de montfort university in leicester , and a problem - based learning room at st george 's , university of london is named after her . brunel university in west london houses its school of health sciences and social care in the mary seacole building . new buildings at the university of salford and birmingham city university bear her name , as does part of the new headquarters of the home office at 2 marsham street . there is a mary seacole ward in the douglas bader centre in roehampton . there are two wards named after mary seacole in whittington hospital in north london . an annual prize to recognise and develop leadership in nurses , midwives and health visitors in the national health service was named seacole , to " acknowledge her achievements " . an exhibition to celebrate the bicentenary of her birth opened at the florence nightingale museum in london in march 2005 . originally scheduled to last for a few months , the exhibition was so popular that it was extended to march 2007 . a campaign to erect a statue of seacole in london was launched on 24 november 2003 , chaired by clive , baron . the design of the sculpture , which is planned to be erected in the grounds of st thomas ' hospital , was announced on 18 june 2009 . there was significant opposition to the siting of the statue , but it was unveiled on 30 june 2016 . a feature film is being made of her life by seacole pictures . a short animation about mary seacole was adapted from a book entitled mother seacole , published in 2005 as part of the bicentenary celebrations . seacole is featured in bbc 's horrible histories , where she is portrayed by dominique moore . a two - dimensional sculpture of seacole was erected in paddington in 2013 . controversies seacole 's recognition has provoked a reaction . it has been argued that she has been promoted at the expense of florence nightingale , and in an attempt to promote multiculturalism . professor lynn mcdonald has written that " ... support for seacole has been used to attack nightingale 's reputation as a pioneer in public health and nursing . " there was opposition to the siting of a statue of mary seacole at st thomas ' hospital on the grounds that she had no connection with this institution , whereas florence nightingale did . dr sean lang has stated that she " does not qualify as a mainstream figure in the history of nursing " , while a letter to the times from the florence nightingale society and signed by members including historians and biographers asserted that " seacole 's battlefield excursions ... took place post - battle , after selling wine and sandwiches to spectators . mrs seacole was a kind and generous businesswoman , but was not a frequenter of the battlefield " under fire " or a pioneer of nursing . " an article by lynn mcdonald in the times literary supplement asked " how did mary seacole come to be viewed as a pioneer of modern nursing ? " , comparing her unfavourably with pratt who was the first black nurse in the nhs , and concluded " she deserves much credit for rising to the occasion , but her tea and lemonade did not save lives , pioneer nursing or advance health care " . seacole 's name appears in an appendix to the key stage 2 national curriculum , as an example of a significant victorian historical figure . there is no requirement that teachers include seacole in their lessons . at the end of 2012 it was reported that mary seacole was to be removed from the national curriculum . opposing this , greg jenner , historical consultant to horrible histories , has stated that while her medical achievements have been exaggerated , removing seacole from the curriculum would be a mistake . while peter hitchens has argued that seacole 's accomplishments have been exaggerated because anybody who put a contrary view was afraid to be accused of racism , both jenner and hugh muir have asserted that this is not the case . susan sheridan has argued that the leaked proposal to remove seacole from the national curriculum is part of " a concentration solely on large - scale political and military history and a fundamental shift away from social history . " in the daily telegraph , cathy newman argues that michael gove 's plans for the new history curriculum " could mean the only women children learn anything about will be queens " . in january 2013 operation black vote launched a petition to request education secretary michael gove to drop neither her nor equiano from the national curriculum rev. jesse jackson and others wrote a letter to the times protesting against the mooted removal of mary seacole from the national curriculum . this was declared successful on 8 february 2013 , after approximately 35 , 000 signatures forced michael gove to concede .