There, she learned important skills in caring for patients and the importance of hospital cleanliness. In 1851, he gave in, and allowed Florence to study nursing at a Christian school for women in Germany.

When Florence broke the news to her parents, they weren’t too happy! Nursing was not a respectful profession and, what’s more, hospitals were filthy, horrible places where sick people died – certainly no place for wealthy girl like Florence! William tried hard to change his daughter’s mind, but Florence was determined. When she was 16 years old, she believed she heard a voice from God calling for her to carry out important work to help those suffering. But Florence saw something very different for her future. Daily life was spent seeing to servants, entertaining guests, reading, sewing and attending social events. In Victorian Britain, wealthy women like Florence weren’t expected to work – their job was to marry and look after the home. They had servants and two lovely houses – a winter home in Hampshire and a summer home in Derbyshire.Īt the time that Florence was a youngster, most girls didn’t go to school – in fact, many didn’t receive any education at all! But William was keen for his daughters to learn, and gave them lessons in lots of different subjects, including science, history and maths. William Nightingale was a wealthy banker and was able to provide his family with a very privileged life. And yup, you guessed it – that’s how she got her name! Her parents were called William and Fanny Nightingale, and she had one older sister, too – Frances Parthenope, AKA ‘Pop’. Florence Nightingale factsįlorence Nightingale was born in the city of Florence, Italy, on whilst her parents were enjoying a long honeymoon. Believe it or not, at the start of the 19th century, nurses usually had no training at all, and they weren’t even paid for the ‘menial’ work they did! But one woman changed all that… meet the amazing Florence Nightingale. Today, nurses are recognised as important, super-skilled professionals. Have you or your family ever been poorly and had to go to hospital? Did you notice all the hard work the nurses were doing to care for the patients and help them get better? Discover how one remarkable woman changed the face of nursing forever in our Florence Nightingale facts…

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