Mary Stanley is known primarily because of her dispute in the Crimea

Crimea

Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...

 with Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale OM, RRC was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night...

, whose friend she also was.

She was born in Alderley, Cheshire the third child of Edward Stanley

Edward Stanley (bishop)

Edward Stanley FRS was a British clergyman and Bishop of Norwich between 1837 and 1849.Born in London into a notable Cheshire family, Stanley was the second son of Sir John Stanley, 6th Baronet, and the younger brother of John Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley of Alderley.Educated at St John's College,...

, later to be the Bishop of Norwich

Bishop of Norwich

The Bishop of Norwich is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Norwich in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers most of the County of Norfolk and part of Suffolk. The see is in the City of Norwich where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided...

, and sister of Arthur Penrhyn Stanley

Arthur Penrhyn Stanley

Arthur Penrhyn Stanley was an English churchman, Dean of Westminster, known as Dean Stanley. His position was that of a Broad Churchman and he was the author of works on Church History.-Life and times:...

, Dean of Westminster and Owen Stanley

Owen Stanley

Captain Owen Stanley FRS RN was a British Royal Navy officer and surveyor.-Life:Stanley was born in Alderley, Cheshire the son of Edward Stanley, rector of Alderley and later Bishop of Norwich...

, the naval explorer. She was also was a close friend of Sidney Herbert, and his wife. She was an ardent Puseyite.

Mary Stanley shared Florence Nightingale's interest in nursing, but, unlike Florence Nightingale, was an ardent advocate of the Kaiserswerth plan with its emphasis on the instruction of nurses 'in
the art of administering religious comfort to patients. . .'. She was eight years older than Florence Nightingale, but 'a strange, emotional creature' and an odd blend of religious fervour and jealousy . . .' Intensely devoted to Florence Nightingale, Mary Stanley had assisted her in recruiting the first group of nurses to go to Constantinople. After causing a family rift by converting to Catholicism, she was stirred by the success of the Nightingale experiment and encouraged by Cardinal Manning

Cardinal Manning

Cardinal Manning may refer to* Henry Edward Manning , English Roman Catholic Archbishop and Cardinal* Timothy Manning , Archbishop of Los Angeles...

 to lead a second party of predominately Catholic nurses.

On her return from the Crimea she continued with her philanthropic work, establishing savings clubs, an industrial laundry and creating employment for soldiers' wives in the production of army uniforms. In 1861, during the "cotton famine" in Lancashire caused by the American Civil War, she assisted Elizabeth Gaskell

Elizabeth Gaskell

Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, née Stevenson , often referred to simply as Mrs Gaskell, was a British novelist and short story writer during the Victorian era...

to distribute aid to the unemployed cotton workers.

She died in 1879 at the age of 66.