Collective Class Timeline

Jane Eyre arrives at Lowood School 1800

Jane Eyre arrives at the boarding school of Lowood in Lancanshire. 

Slavery Abolished in Britain

Mary Seacole was born British, in the colony of Jamaica, while the slave trade was still active. Slavery was abolished in Britain in 1833 with the passing of the Slavery Abolition Act, however, it was not until 1838 that Jamaican slaves truly gained their freedom. (This was before Mary Seacole was active in her efforts to help the soldiers in the Crimean War - and, therefore, before the events of the book.) The full title of the 1833 bill is “An Act for the Abolition of Slavery throughout the British Colonies; for promoting the Industry of the manumitted Slaves; and for compensating the Persons hitherto entitled to the Services of such Slaves.”

The Fire of 1843

On August 26, 1843, a fire erupted in Kingston and burned down a tenth of the city. Valuable properties, homes, and businesses burned down. One of those homes was Mrs. Seacole’s which she mentions in her narrative. The cause of the fire remains unknown, but arson had been suspected which became a problematic suspicion. There had already been racial tensions, but the fire only made it worse.  The city turned on the black population to blame them even though there had been no evidence to suspect such actions. About 10,149 Jamaican pounds had been distributed to those who lost property, although Mrs. Seacole never mentions receiving the money in her non-fiction narrative. By 1850 only a portion of the houses had been rebuilt. 

Lumsden, Joy. “1843 James the Founder's or Matcham's Fire.” Jamaica's History - Always Something New to Find out!, Weebly, 2018, https://jamaica-history.weebly.com/1843.html. 

Seacole, Mary. Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands, Penguin Classics. 1857.

Great Fire of 1843

This fire destroyed a tenth of the Kingston area and they felt the effects of that fire for a very long time.

Check out this website for more details and images.

Jane Eyre Published

Jane Eyre: An Autography was published in three volumes by Smith, Elder, and Co. The frontispiece identified the "editor" as Currer Bell. 

Cholera Outbreak of 1850

XX

Cruses, Panama- First British Hotel

Mary Seacole worked as a doctor in this hotel.

Founding the Hotel

Mary Seacole starts up her hotel in Balaclava, Turkey.

The Wonderful Adventures of Mary Seacole are published

The Wonderful Adventures of Mary Seacole by Mary Seacole were published in 1857 by the publisher James Blackwood.