Nancy Clarke (died 1812) was a Barbadian hotelier and free woman of colour who was known for the continued success of the Royal Naval Hotel.
According to Professor Pedro Welch of the University of the West Indies, Clarke's history is indicative of the ingenuity Barbadian women of colour used in the 19th century to secure emancipation from slavery for themselves and others.
A popular song of the time captured her fit of jealousy, which resulted in Clarke throwing acid in the face of another woman.
While it is unknown why she initially moved to England, when she died in 1812, her executors filed paperwork to confirm that her property was not subject to escheat, forfeiture to the state.
[7] Professor Pedro Welch of the University of the West Indies has also studied Clarke and the ways women slaves and freedmen used their networks and contacts with whites to emancipate other people in bondage in Barbados.