British nursing history has long been dominated by images of white middle- and upper-class Victorian women working in urban general hospitals. This has resulted in a picture of nursing history that lacks diversity. Thankfully, in recent years progress has been made in recognising nursing’s diverse history, such as the long over-due recognition of Daphne Steele, Britain’s first black NHS matron, but more needs to be done.

One area needing greater attention is the time before Florence Nightingale. Pre-Nightingale British nurses have been commonly portrayed as incompetent slatternly women, such as Grace Poole the drunken nurse in Jane Eyre but, little research has been conducted to challenge this image. That is why the new book Nursing the English from plague to Peterloo, 1660-1820 by Alannah Tomkins, Professor of Social History, is very welcome. The book critically examines why early nurses were perceived so badly and encourages readers to reflect on factors which could have contributed to this perception arising e.g., that people called ‘nurse’ were not always caring for the sick.

The book’s chapters cover women and men’s nursing in different contexts and with a fresh perspective. For example, Tomkins’s discussion of wartime nursing focuses, unusually, on 1793-1815 rather than 20th Century conflicts. Tomkins brings into the light the contributions of many forgotten early nurses, such as soldier’s wife Agnes Reston, nick-named the Heroine of Matagorda because of her bravery during the Peninsular war, and who later worked as a hospital and domestic nurse in Glasgow. Lack of surviving evidence means that sometimes, little is known about these forgotten early nurses beyond their names, such as the men servants who nursed their army officers. However, it is important that the contribution of these early nurses is finally recognised.

By using a range of sources Tomkins provides insight into the lives of early nurses. For example, in researching the Chelsea military hospital chapter, muster lists, registers, wills, inventories and family history have all been used to highlight connections between married nurses and patients and to describe nurses’ living conditions, such as which nurses got better mattresses.

British nursing history is often seen as starting with Nightingale but, this book clearly demonstrates that British nursing history long pre-dates that era. The many examples of well performing and caring nurses also challenge the long-standing dominant narrative that early nurses were all terrible. Although about England, themes within this book will resonate with readers in other countries.

RCN members can access a print copy of the book from the RCN library or an e-copy - Alannah Tomkins: Nursing the English from Plague to Peterloo, 1660-1820