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Saturday 16 April 2016

How Grace Darling lost her hair



Grace Darling was a true 19th century heroine.  She earned her fame on 7th September 1838 when she took part in a daring rescue off the coast of north-east England, her actions turning her into a household name.

She was the daughter of William Grace, the keeper of the Longstone lighthouse, where she lived with her family, including two brothers. The lighthouse guarded the Farne Islands of Northumberland. These low-lying islands, renowned for their colonies of seals and puffins, lie just off the Northumberland coast and present a real hazard to shipping.

On the night of 6th September 1838 the paddle-steamer SS Forfarshire, sailing north from Hull, suffered engine failure during a storm and foundered on Big Harcar, one of the Farne Islands about three quarters of a mile from the lighthouse. Some of the passengers and crew managed to get about the ship’s lifeboat, but nine people could only scramble to safety on the rocks of Big Harcar, where the huge waves threatened to sweep them off into the sea.

When, at first light, Grace Darling spotted the wreck and the people on the rocks, her father decided to mount a rescue by rowing his boat across to the island, but he could not do it alone. His two sons were away at the time, which only left Grace, aged 22. They managed to reach Big Harcar through the storm, and Grace then had to keep the boat safe from being smashed against the rocks while her father climbed on to the island to help the stranded people to safety.

Grace’s courage and prowess, when the general public got to hear about it, gave her instant celebrity status. The young Queen Victoria (who was four years younger than Grace) gave her fifty pounds. Both William and Grace were awarded the silver medal of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

And, of course, a flood of congratulatory letters arrived at the lighthouse. Many of these asked for a lock of Grace Darling’s hair, which was the Victorian equivalent of requesting an autograph signature. Grace, knowing no better, sent off the locks as requested.

However, the letters asking for locks of hair were so numerous that Grace’s hair could not grow fast enough to supply the demand. Grace seriously considered buying a wig to cover the bald patches that were starting to appear.

Unfortunately, Grace Darling was not able to enjoy her fame for long, because she died of tuberculosis only four years later. However, her posthumous fame continues to this day, and she is remembered fondly by the RNLI, which always has a “Grace Darling” lifeboat in service.


© John Welford

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