 A 19th-century Jamaican nurse will become the first Black woman from outside the UK ever featured on a Royal Mint coin. Mary Seacole was a lot of things. A nurse, a writer, a hotelier, a world traveller and a businesswoman, among other things. Now her face will be seen across countless coins produced by the Royal Mint as the coin-maker honours her life as Black History Month begins. Trevor Sterling, chair of Mary Seacole Trust, said: 'This is another significant historical moment and it pays tribute to Mary Seacole as a symbol of the NHS, diversity, social justice and also in understanding the diverse contributions that have been made to this country. 'This is a very proud moment, and I'm looking forward to travelling to Jamaica to honour Mary Seacole Day to present the coin to the new Jamaican High Commissioner and gift a coin to the Institute of Jamaica. 'It's our way of saying thank you, we know that you suffered a loss as a result, and we acknowledge what's been given to us.' The19th-century Jamaican-born nurse overcame racism and injustice to nurse soldiers during the Crimean War (Picture: PA) The coin comes after a 12-year campaign which raised £500,000 to honour her as a statue at St Thomas' Hospital London – the first statue of a named Black female in the UK. Sculptor Martin Jennings, who designed the statue, also created the design for the coin's reverse, which features King Charles. Mary was born in Jamaica in 1805 to a Scottish soldier and a Jamaican woman who was skilled in traditional medicine and treated the sick at her boardinghouse. She tended to British troops wounded during the Crimean War at a time when many Black people in the Caribbean were forced to work as slaves. The conflict between a coalition of nations – Britain included – against Russia lasted from October 1853 until February 1856. Mary, according to the Mary Seacole Trust,){kind=link}
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A 19th-century Jamaican nurse will become the first Black woman from outside the UK ever featured on a Royal Mint coin.
Mary Seacole was a lot of things. A nurse, a writer, a hotelier, a world traveller and a businesswoman, among other things.
Now her face will be seen across countless coins produced by the Royal Mint as the coin-maker honours her life as Black History Month begins.
Trevor Sterling, chair of Mary Seacole Trust, said: ‘This is another significant historical moment and it pays tribute to Mary Seacole as a symbol of the NHS, diversity, social justice and also in understanding the diverse contributions that have been made to this country.