
The Greatest Black Briton in History triumphed over the Crimea & Victorian Engl&. The Times" called her a heroine Florence Nightingale called her a brothel-keeping quack & Queen Victorias nephew called her simply Mammy
- Mary Seacole was one of the most eccentric & charismatic women of her era. Born at her mothers hotel in Jamaica in 1805 she became an independent doctress combining the herbal remedies of her African ancestry with sound surgical techniques. On the outbreak of the Crimean War she arrived in London desperate to join Florence Nightingale at the Front but the authorities refused to see her. Being black nearly 50 rather stout & gloriously loud in every way she was obviously unsuitable. Undaunted Mary travelled to Balaklava under her own steam to build the British Hotel just behind the lines. It was an outrageous venture & a huge success
- she became known & loved by everyone from the rank & file to the royal family. For more than a century after her death this remarkable woman was all but forgotten. This the first full-length biography of a Victorian celebrity recently voted the greatest black Briton in history brings Mary Seacole centre stage at last."