The second party of volunteer nurses dispatched to the Crimean War in December 1854 included Frances Margaret Taylor, who had volunteered despite being under the age requirement. Her subsequent career bridged the worlds of literature and nursing, evolving from an observer of military medical failures to the founder of a dedicated congregation serving the vulnerable poor in London.
Early Development and Nursing Experience
Born in 1832 at Stoke Rochford, Frances Taylor was the youngest of ten children of Anglican Rector Henry Taylor and Louisa Maria Jones. Her early life was defined by shifting residences in London, including Brompton and St John's Wood, where she was exposed to the Tractarian movement. Her formal nursing involvement began around 1852 when she joined the Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Trinity, working at hospitals in Bristol and serving during the 1853 Plymouth cholera epidemic.
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In December 1854, Taylor departed for Turkey to serve in military hospitals during the Crimean War. She worked briefly under Florence Nightingale at Scutari Hospital before transferring to the Koulali military hospital. Critical of the administrative organisation and poor supplies, she encountered the Sisters of Mercy and the Irish Catholic soldiery. On 14 April 1855, she was received into the Roman Catholic Church by the priest Sydney Woollett. Her experiences in these facilities were documented in her first book, which provided an early eyewitness account of wartime nursing and called for systemic reform.
Literary Pursuits and Editorship
Upon returning to England, Taylor engaged in significant charitable and literary work under the guidance of Henry Edward Manning and Lady Georgiana Fullerton. She authored the historical novel Tyborne, which focused on Catholic martyrs, and Irish Homes and Irish Hearts, a study of conditions in Ireland. From January 1863 until June 1871, she acted as the proprietor and editor of The Lamp, a penny magazine designed to provide educational and Catholic-focused content to working-class readers.
Founding the Poor Servants of the Mother of God
Collaborating with Lady Georgiana Fullerton and the Belgian priest J. L. Biemans, Taylor established an English branch of the Little Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Conception on 24 October 1868. The group focused on charitable ministries, including soup kitchens and industrial schools, notably at Tower Hill by 1869. After her mother died, Taylor became a permanent member of this congregation, eventually serving as superior general until her death in London in 1900.
Fast facts
- Born: 1832, Stoke Rochford
- Died: 1900, London
- Primary Religion: Catholicism
- Editor of The Lamp: 1863–1871
- Served in Crimea: 1854–1855
- Religious Name: Mary Magdalen of the Sacred Heart
Questions readers ask
What medical experience did Taylor have before the Crimean War?
She served as a nurse with the Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Trinity in Bristol and during the 1853 cholera epidemic in Plymouth.
What was the mission of the congregation founded by Taylor?
The Poor Servants of the Mother of God provided charitable services such as running soup kitchens and industrial schools for the poor.
