The Grace Darling Story - What Happened?

Grace Darling (1815-1842) was the courageous nineteenth-century lighthouse heroine who was destined to occupy the sentimental hearts of the early Victorians. She bravely assisted her father in rescuing those shipwrecked from the Forfarshire steamer on the 7th September 1838 where forty-three of the sixty-three persons aboard drowned. Grace spotted the ship from her family’s lighthouse in the early hours of the morning and called her father. As they looked out along the coast, the sea was treacherous and far too dangerous to sail in. It was not until a few hours later that the weather permitted them to take action. They set sail over the rocky waves to rescue those clinging for life.. After rowing their heavy vessel to the wreck, Grace was left gripping onto a nearby rock to keep the lifeboat steady, whilst the remaining survivors climbed aboard. Once back safely on land, the survivors were brought to the lighthouse and cared for by Grace and her mother. Her incredible strength and courage was seized upon by the public and was talked about throughout the country, as never before had they known a woman to demonstrate such behaviour.

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