The following story has been taken in part from 'Grace Darling The Heroine of the Farne Islands' by Christine Bell published in 2004 by kind permission of Christine Bell.  Copyright © Christine Bell 2004

On the 24th November 1815, Grace Darling was born in the home of her grandfather, Job Horsley.  When she was just three weeks old she was christened in St Aidan's Church, which stands across the road from the cottage.  She was named Grace Horsley Darling, in memory of her grandfather, who had died the previous year.  Grace was then taken home across the water to the Farne Islands, where her father William Darling was the lightkeeper. 

Their home was a cottage on the Brownsman Island, which lies in the middle of the group of twenty eight islands called the Farnes, about two miles off the coast from Bamburgh Castle.

The islands were very wild and desolate places.  The rough sea crashes over them, and the strong, blustery winds howl around their shores.  Many of the islands are hidden beneath the water, for the tides are exceptionally high at times.

photograph copyright © RNLI

It was here, on Brownsman, amongst the birds and the wild flowers that covered the island, and surrounded by the wild North Sea, that William and Thomasin Darling raised their family. 

Grace was the seventh child.  She had five brothers and three sisters, and a pet dog called happy.  All the children were given family names.  Her eldest brother William, born in 1806, was named after his father.  Then came twin girls in 1808, Thomasin named after her mother and Mary Ann, named after an aunt.  Job came next in 1810.  He was given Grandfather Horsley's name.  Elizabeth Grace, born in 1812, was number 5 and named after Grandma Darling.  Robert named after Grandfather Darling followed in 1814.  Then came Grace, named Grace Horsley Darling after Grandma Horsley.  After Grace, twin boys were born in 1819.  They were named George Alexander after Great Grandfather Darling, and William Brooks after a Great Uncle.

The Children had to work very hard.  They all had their tasks to do to keep the lighthouse running smoothly and efficiently.  Mr Darling was paid £70 a year by Trinity House to look after the lighthouse, but the rest of the family were not paid, even though they had to share the work.  Their reward was being allowed to live with him on the island.

The first lighthouse on Brownsman Island was built in 1795 and Grace's Grandfather, Robert Darling, was the lightkeeper.  It was a square tower built by the side of the cottage, standing about 13 meters high, and the light was provided by a coal and timber fire.

In 1810 a second lighthouse was built at the other side of the cottage.  It had a revolving light and silvered copper reflectors, and oil was used instead of coal.  This was a great improvement.

It was in 1838, when Grace was twenty two years old that her name was written into our history books.  On the evening of the 5th of September 1838, the luxury steamship Forfarshire, the most splendid and powerful steam vessel, and one of the first ever cruise ships, left Hull bound for Dundee.  It was carrying a cargo of fine material, soap and boiler plate, thirty nine passengers and one of its starboard boilers sprung a leek.

Had the weather been favourable and the sea calm perhaps all would have been well, but as they sailed North the weather deteriorated and they ran into a terrible storm.  By 6.00pm the following evening the Forfarshire was passing the Farne Islands.

That same night Mr and Mrs Darling and Grace were the only three in the lighthouse.  William Brooks had gone across to the village of Seahouses that morning to help his friends with the fishing and because of the storm had been unable to return home.

At about 4.00am on the 7th of September 1838, the Forfarshire struck the big Harcar rock and broke in two.  Just after four thirty that morning Grace spotted the wreck from her bedroom window.  She hurried down stairs to tell her father.  Because of the darkness and the spray being thrown up over the rocks they could not see any signs of life.  It was not until seven o'clock that they spotted movement on the rocks.  Immediately Grace pleaded with her father to go and help those poor souls, Mr Darling hesitated, not because he was afraid, for he had shown outstanding courage on many occasions, but in the past years he always had his sons to help him, but now there was only Grace.  She had never been out in such treacherous seas, but he didn't doubt her courage. 

Grace was impatient.  She had no thought of danger and the risk to their own lives.  It was impossible to take a direct route to the wreak as they would have been exposed to the full fury of the storm and would most certainly have been dashed onto the rocks by the mountainous waves.  Instead they went round the south side of the islands so that they were sheltered most of the way, though this meant they had to row twice the distance.

Mr Darling knew that it would be impossible to get them all into the coble in such conditions.  So as they drew close, he jumped out onto the rock, leaving Grace to hold the boat steady while he organised the survivors into two groups.  How she had the strength to keep that coble, which usually took four people to row in such horrendous seas, from being broken to pieces on those jagged rocks is remarkable.  Grace claimed that God was with her and gave her the strength se needed.

There were nine people still alive on the reef.  There was one lady, Mrs Dawson.  She was holding in her arms the dead bodies of her two young children.  There was also the dead body of a clergyman.  The Revd.  Mr. Robb. Mr. Darling helped Mrs Dawson and an injured man into the boat along with the other three men and they struggled back to the lighthouse.  Grace remained there to help her mother look after the survivors. 

The Forfarshire being the most luxurious up to date vessel of its day, news of the wreak spread fast, throughout the country.  When the survivors told of the young girl, who with her farther had rowed out and saved their lives, Grace soon became famous.  Glowing reports of her appeared in newspapers telling of her heroic deed.  People wrote asking for locks of her hair.  Artists arrived on the island to paint her portrait, poets to write verse and boat trips were organised just to take people out to look at her.  Gifts were showered on her, offers of marriage were made and she was even invited to appear on stage in London.

Grace hated all the fuss, she always claimed she had done nothing outstanding, only doing her Christian duty.

Not long after the event Grace developed a nasty cough.  Her condition worsened and she went to stay with a cousin in Alnwick where she was attended by the Duke of Northumberland's physician.  Grace longed to go home to be by the sea she loved.  Her sister Thomasin took Grace home to Bamburgh, and it was there, in Thomasin's cottage that on the 20th October 1842, at the age of twenty six that Grace died.  She was buried in St Aidan's Churchyard.

People wished that she would always be remembered and money was raised to build a monument in her memory.  There it stands to this day, in a prominent position where it can be seen from the sea, and hundreds of people, both young and old come to the church yard every year to pay their respects to a young courageous girl called Grace Darling, who risked her life to save others.

'The Grace Darling Memorial' photo taken by Melanie Darling

This story was taken from extracts of the book 'Grace Darling The Heroine of the Farne Islands' by Christine Bell published in 2004 by kind permission of Christine Bell.  Copyright © Christine Bell 2004

Copies can be purchased from : Mrs C Bell, 2 Radcliffe Road, Bamburgh, Northumberland, NE69 7AE.

The Grace Darling Museum

The museum, opened in 1938, perpetuates the memory of Grace Darling, local heroine. 

School visits can be booked through Learning Officer Clare Laidler at clare_laidler@rnli.org.uk or 07825 386 150.

Other group visits can be booked through Museum Manager Tony Walton, to whom any other queries or requests should be addressed. Contact Tony at tony_walton@rnli.org.uk or 07825 386 172.

Booking is essential for all groups at least 2 weeks in advance.

Opening times:
Tuesdays–Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays
Easter–October 10am–5pm
November–Easter 10am–4pm

Download map.

Download a Grace Darling fact sheet.