A new Royal Mint coin in honour of Mary Seacole – the 19th-century Jamaican-born nurse who overcame racism and injustice to nurse soldiers during the Crimean War has been revealed in conjunction with Black History Month.
It is the first coin to feature a named black female from outside of Britain, following the coin to commemorate Dame Shirley Bassey, and has received a Royal Proclamation from King Charles III.
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Designed by Sandra Deiana, the coin depicts a portrait of Mary Seacole, based on a photograph held at Winchester College. The coin’s edge inscription reads ‘THE ONE WHO NURSED HER SICK’, which was extracted from a quote by a War Correspondent for The Times, William H Russell in 1857. Sculpture Martin Jennings, who designed the Mary Seacole statue at St Thomas’ Hospital London, designed the reverse of the coin, which features King Charles III.
Trevor Sterling, Chair of Mary
Seacole Trust and Senior Partner at Moore Barlow, where he became the first black Senior Partner of a top 100 law firm, says: “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 [23 November 2023] 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.”
Rebecca Morgan, Director of Commemorative Coin at The Royal Mint said: “We are delighted to launch the Mary Seacole commemorative £5 coin. We hope this coin design pays tribute to her incredible legacy and celebrates her adventurous life and diligent work as a heroine of the Crimean War.”
