Talk:Statue of Mary Seacole

The Duke of Wellington (section Subject)

I have deleted the Duke of Wellington from the examples of "illustrious" financial supporters of Seacole after "she fell into poverty" after the Crimean War. It was wikilinked to the 1st Duke who had died in 1852 before the Crimean War started and I have so far found no evidence his succeeding son (a general who never saw campaign service) was himself a donor. I have left alone the name of William Howard Russell because he was a long term survivor of the war and was probably more prominent than the 2nd Duke of Wellington was terms of national media cover.Cloptonson (talk) 11:19, 19 November 2022 (UTC)

Cloptonson - rather belatedly, you're obviously right re. the 1st Duke. But this, [1], this, [2] and this, [3] mention the Dukes of Wellington and Newcastle. And Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington was Master of the Horse during the Crimea War, while Henry Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle resigned as Secretary of State for War over the war and thereafter visited the Crimea, so both sound plausible? I appreciate the sources could be a bit stronger. What do you think? KJP1 (talk)

This, [4], gives two royal dukes and the PoW - but not Wellington or Newcastle. KJP1 (talk) 07:25, 20 October 2023 (UTC)

KJP1 - Thank you. I consider the PDF giving the transcript of a 1970s newspaper report the most believable as the then Dukes are indicated as arranging the reception in Seacole's honour, so in the case of the 2nd Duke of Wellington the date pinpoints him as he lived into the 1880s. As to the Guardian story about the 1867 collection that was set up, the absence of mention the Dukes of Wellington and Newcastle might be because Newcastle had died in 1864 and Wellington had left his government appointment as Master of the Horse when the Palmerston ministry ended in 1858 and gone to less national attention.Cloptonson (talk) 14:00, 20 October 2023 (UTC)