A statue to Mary Jane Seacole, voted in 2004 as the greatest black Briton, has been unveiled at St Thomas Hospital in London. Born to a Scottish soldier father and a free Jamaican mother who was a herbalist, she went to tend the sick during the Crimean War at her own expense. She became destitute on her return to the UK and was helped by service personnel who raised money for her. In her later years she returned to Jamaica and then to London where she moved on the periphery of royal circles.
Born 23 Nov 1805 in Kingston, Jamaica, she was a Sun Mercury Jupiter in Sagittarius square Pluto; with Jupiter conjunct Mars also in Sag. So not short of determination or a yen for travel, though not perhaps blessed with practical sense about money. She also had an innovative and courageous Saturn Uranus in Libra sextile Mars. After her death, she was forgotten for almost a century.
Florence Nightingale 12 May 1820 2pm Florence, Italy who also organised nurses during the Crimean War and became a social reformer has tended to get all the glory. She was a New Moon in Taurus in the travelling 9th house sextile both Jupiter and Pluto in Pisces – so confident and determined. Her Mars in Leo was trine Saturn in self-reliant Aries, so brave, disciplined, suited to military associations.
Thank you Marjorie, for Mary Jane Seacole.
Thanks Marjorie. Fascinating lady. She’s in the UK national curriculum, one of my children did a project about her for school a few years ago. Great that you found her DoB! I read somewhere that she didn’t know when she was born, as I wanted to look at her chart myself. Lot’s of Sagittarius as you’d expect. Pluto recently transiting the NN and Chiron in Capricorn, the sign of fame, status and being known for accomplishments. On a pragmatic level, she also had to be a businesswoman to enable her work.