1838 Grace Darling's daring deed

Grace Darling, (b. 1815), was a lighthouse-keeper's daughter on Longstone Island, off the coast of England.

On September 7, 1838, a stormy day, the Forfarshire, a 300-ton steamer, was on her way from Hull to Dundee when she smashed into the rocks at about 4am. The seas were so great that the local boatman, and lighthouse keeper Darling, refused to take vessels out to the wreck. Grace, aged 22, coaxed her father into going with her to row the mile to rescue the survivors, of whom they saved nine, including a mother who they found nursing the corpses of two infants.

Grace Darling, because of her bravery and no doubt because of her attractive name, became instantly famous in Britain, and may be described as the first media heroine. More than 700 pounds was raised for her by public subscription. She received many offers of marriage, but she was content to remain with her parents at the lighthouse, where she died of tuberculosis at the early age of 27 ...

Categories: uk, history, nautical