The Decoration of the Royal Red Cross was awarded to Emily Anne Beaufort, Viscountess Strangford, in 1883 following her establishment of the Victoria Hospital in Cairo.
Early Travels and Literature
Born in 1826 in St Marylebone, she was the daughter of Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort and his wife Alice. She gained public attention in 1858 following an excursion to Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Asia Minor. The resulting book, Egyptian Sepulchres and Syrian Shrines, featured her own sketches and saw multiple re-issues. Her marriage to Percy Smythe, 8th Viscount Strangford, followed a critical review he wrote of her work. Together, they traveled extensively through the Ottoman Empire, including visits to Greece, Serbia, and Turkey.
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Following the death of her husband in 1869, which left her without children and his titles extinct, she volunteered as a nurse at University College Hospital in London. In 1874, she published a proposal advocating for part-time nursing training. She argued that medical education would provide significant domestic benefits for women, though her ideas met resistance from those seeking to establish nursing as a strict professional career path rather than a part-time pursuit.
Bulgarian Relief Efforts
In 1876, she mobilized relief for victims of massacres in Bulgaria. She launched the Bulgarian Peasants Relief Fund, raising thousands of pounds to support the region. Accompanied by Robert Jasper More and a medical team, she established hospitals in Batak, Radilovo, Panagiurishte, Perushtitsa, Petrich, and Karlovo. Her efforts extended to economic infrastructure, where she provided subsidies for flour and saw mills, believing that self-improvement through education and local facilities was a primary requirement for the population.
Final Years and Death
Her later years included the publication of her husband's posthumous papers and work with the Women's Emigration Society. In 1887, she died of a stroke while aboard the SS Lusitania in the Mediterranean Sea, en route to Port Said to open a new hospital for seamen. Her remains were returned to the United Kingdom, where she was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery. Today, she is honored with streets and permanent museum exhibits in Bulgaria, while the Plovdiv Regional Historical Museum maintains a display of her legacy.
Fast facts
- Born: 1826, Marylebone
- Died: 1887, Mediterranean Sea
- Buried: Kensal Green Cemetery
- Awards: Decoration of the Royal Red Cross, 1883
- Spouse: Percy Smythe, 8th Viscount Strangford
- Notable Book: Egyptian Sepulchres and Syrian Shrines
- Citizenship: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- Occupation: Writer, nurse
Questions readers ask
What was the significance of the Bulgarian Peasants Relief Fund?
It provided the capital necessary for Lady Strangford to construct multiple hospitals and subsidize mills across Bulgaria following the 1876 April Uprising.
Why did she advocate for part-time nursing?
She believed that nursing training offered valuable skills for women in their family roles, though her view was not supported by those seeking to professionalize nursing at the time.