In Search of Mary Seacole: a ‘wonderfully informative’ biography
Helen Rappaport sets out to bring ‘clarity to Seacole’s life’

The “extraordinary” Mary Seacole – who was renowned for giving succour to British troops during the Crimean War – has in recent years become something of a “political touchstone”, said Andrew Lycett in The Spectator. While many see her as a black pioneer who bravely made her way in “an inhospitable society”, others claim she was something of a “charlatan” – a woman who falsely presented herself as a nurse and “doctress” when in fact she mainly sold food and drink.
In this long-awaited biography, Helen Rappaport sets out to bring “clarity to Seacole’s life”, a task made particularly challenging owing to the patchiness of much of the evidence, and by the fact that Seacole herself was often evasive, especially when it came to her upbringing in Jamaica. Yet Rappaport triumphantly brings her to life, revealing her to be a “hardy, enterprising and intensely patriotic” woman who, while certainly no saint, was a significant force for good.
Seacole was born out of wedlock in 1805 to a 15-year-old mixed-race woman named Rebecca and a Scots army officer named John Grant, said Wendy Moore in Literary Review. In her early adulthood in Jamaica she became a “successful businesswoman”, running a lodging house and selling herbal remedies. She acquired her surname in 1836 by a pragmatic marriage to an English merchant named Edwin Seacole, who died eight years later.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Soon after the Crimean War broke out in 1853, she travelled to England and offered her services to the British Army as a nurse – only to be rejected. Instead, she financed her own trip to Crimea, setting up a canteen and “general store” near the front that doubled as a “walk-in clinic” for injured soldiers.
Seacole’s presence in the Crimea greatly irked Florence Nightingale, who regarded her as a Creole upstart and couldn’t stand her, said Ysenda Maxtone Graham in The Times. When Seacole visited her hospital in Scutari, Nightingale made her sleep in the “washerwomen’s flea-ridden quarters”. She also refused Seacole’s offer of care when she fell ill with fever in 1855, later writing that Seacole “wanted to quack me”.
This antipathy, Rappaport suggests, was driven largely by jealousy: “Old Mother Seacole” was loved not only for her medical care, but also for her meat pies and her willingness to serve alcohol. Seacole returned to England a celebrity, but had lapsed into obscurity by her death in 1881. Rappaport performs a valuable service in this “wonderfully informative book” by presenting Seacole in “all her roundness”.
Simon & Schuster 416pp £20; The Week Bookshop £15.99
The Week Bookshop
To order this title or any other book in print, visit theweekbookshop.co.uk, or speak to a bookseller on 020-3176 3835. Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9am-5.30pm and Sunday 10am-4pm.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Book reviews: ‘Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America’ and ‘How to End a Story: Collected Diaries, 1978–1998’
Feature A political ‘witch hunt’ and Helen Garner’s journal entries
By The Week US Published
-
The backlash against ChatGPT's Studio Ghibli filter
The Explainer The studio's charming style has become part of a nebulous social media trend
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Why are student loan borrowers falling behind on payments?
Today's Big Question Delinquencies surge as the Trump administration upends the program
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Book reviews: ‘Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America’ and ‘How to End a Story: Collected Diaries, 1978–1998’
Feature A political ‘witch hunt’ and Helen Garner’s journal entries
By The Week US Published
-
Following the Tea Horse Road in China
The Week Recommends This network of roads and trails served as vital trading routes
By The Week UK Published
-
Roast lamb shoulder with ginger and fresh turmeric recipe
The Week Recommends Succulent and tender and falls off the bone with ease
By The Week UK Published
-
Adolescence and the toxic online world: what's the solution?
Talking Point The hit Netflix show is a window into the manosphere, red pills and incels
By The Week Staff Published
-
Snow White: Disney's 'earnest effort to meet an impossible brief'
Talking Point Live-action remake of Disney classic is not the disaster it could have been – but where's the personality?
By The Week UK Published
-
Don McCullin picks his favourite books
The Week Recommends The photojournalist shares works by Daniel Defoe, Lesley Blanch and Roland Philipps
By The Week UK Published
-
6 breathtaking homes in capital cities
Feature Featuring a glass conservatory in Atlanta and a loft library in Boston
By The Week US Published
-
Playhouse Creatures: 'dream-like' play is 'lively, funny and sharp-witted'
Anna Chancellor offers a 'glinting performance' alongside a 'strong' supporting cast
By The Week UK Published