Women's Labor in 19th C. British Empire

Early Life and Education

Seacole was born in 1805 in Kingston, Jamaica--then under British rule--to a free mulatta mother and a Scottish Army Officer. Without access to a formal education, Seacole learned from her mother and one of the women her mother worked for. It was from her mother that Seacole began to learn medicine as well as how to run a hotel. 

Trans-Atlantic Merchant

During her 20s, Seacole would travel back and forth between Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, and England, and England. Going to London, Seacole would carry goods such as pickles and preserves. On the return, Seacole would bring unusual shells. As a subject of the British Empire, Seacole had the right to move back and forth between the different parts of the Empire and her familial connections across the Atlantic eased her travel. Her experiences and options in each of those spaces, however, were shaped by her identity as a Jamaican creole, a label which saw her continually forced to deal with racial discrimination.

Family Businesses

1826-1850: During the 19th century, most women's economic lives were tied to their family. During the late 1820s and 1830s, Seacole would work first with her mother running Blundell Hall in Kingston as a home, hotel, and hospital. The two would often go up to Up-Park Camp to offer medical support for British soldiers. Once married (1836), Seacole (née Grant) moved with her husband to Black River, where the two ran a shop. Seacole's account suggests that her husbands health forced them back to Kingston, where she would again help run Blundell Hall. Here, each step was informed by natal and then marital familial connections. 

Proprietor and Nurse

1850-1853: Interested in traveling again, Seacole decided to follow her brother into Panama, where he had established the Independent Hotel in Cruces. Decades before the construction of the Panama Canal, thousands of Jamaican citizens traveled to Panama to work on the railway even as people began to move toward California to search for gold. Seacole's brother had planned to offer a way station. By now an experienced merchant, Seacole travelled to join him, bringing with her preserved meats, vegetables, and eggs to sell. Once in Cruces, however, cholera broke out and Seacole ended up working as one of the only nurses in the area.

Merchant and Nurse

1853-1856: Refused participation in government and other, private nursing groups (including Florence Nightingale's) on account of her background, Seacole set up the British Hotel in Crimea to support the British troops fighting there. Seacole used the hotel as a base from which to offer soldiers aid, ranging from sponge cake to medical care. 

Bankruptcy

In 1856, Seacole returned to England and filed for bankruptcy. The end of the war and withdrawal of troops saw Seacole's business collapse. Seacole was forced to sell the British Hotel with its associated goods. A subject of the British crown, Seacole was entitled to and was granted. Seacole and Thomas Day (an associate) were paid two guineas (1 guineas is worth 21 shillings or £1.05.) per week off of which to live. 

Funds

The adoration Seacole had earned in the Crimea saw multiple officers as well as members of the royal family set up several different funds for her own the rest of her life.  

Author

To support herself, Seacole wrote an autobiographical text describing her life and travels. Published in 1857, the book sold well during Seacole's life, providing part of her income until her death in 1881. Yet, this would not have been an option available to many women at the time. This is possibly the first book authored (as opposed to narrated as with Mary Prince) by an Afro-Caribbean British woman at the time. Seacole's fame was likely necessary for the publisher to have even considered the text and then for its significant sales. 

Learn More

To learn more about the story of Seacole, check out these resources: