Betsi Cadwaladr | |
---|---|
Born | Elizabeth Cadwaladr 24 May 1789 Llanycil, near Bala, Wales |
Died | 17 July 1860 London | (aged 71)
Nationality | Welsh |
Citizenship | British |
Occupation | Nurse |
Years active | 1855 |
Betsi Cadwaladr (24 May 1789 – 17 July 1860), also known as Beti Cadwaladr[1] Betsi Davis,[2] and Elizabeth Davis[3] was a Welsh nurse. She began nursing on travelling ships in her 30s (1820s) and later nursed in the Crimean War alongside Florence Nightingale.[4]
Her name today is synonymous with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (Welsh: Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Betsi Cadwaladr), the largest health organisation in Wales. In 2016, she was named as one of "the 50 greatest Welsh men and women of all time" [5]
One of the few sources for her life is the book 'Autobiography of Elizabeth Davis', published in 1857. This was based on a series of interviews with the author Jane Williams towards the end of Cadwaladr's life.[6]