The Forfarshire rescue took place on 7 September 1838. William Darling was the Keeper of the Longstone Lighthouse on the Farne Islands, off the Northumberland coast. His daughter was Grace Darling.

William and Grace were ‘on alert’ and at quarter to five in the morning on 7^th September 1838, Grace spotted a ship wrecked on the rocks. The darkness and poor weather prevented Grace from being able to spot any survivors. By seven o’clock the tide had fallen and William and Grace were able to see three or four men on the rock. The poor weather meant that they did not know if a lifeboat would be able to come from North Sunderland (Seahouses) so they decided to go out to the rocks in their own boat. They found 8 men and 1 woman there. William and Grace made two rescue trips, the first taking four men and the woman to Longstone. Two of the men returned to the rocks with William and brought back the four remaining survivors. Later the North Sunderland lifeboat was able to get to the rock and rescued the bodies of one man and two children. The lifeboat crew were unable to return to the mainland immediately and had to stay on the Farne Islands for two days and nights. The letter is dated 6 October 1838, about a month after the rescue. 

This document is a printed supplement to The Recorder, a weekly newspaper. The supplement was published on 23 December 1838 and celebrates Grace Darling’s role in the rescue of the survivors of the wreck of The Forfarshire. The supplement includes an illustration of the rescue and a poem describing the rescue. The supplement focusses on Grace’s role in the rescue. It was very unusual for a woman to be involved in a rescue in the early part of the 19^th century. Grace was treated as a celebrity after the rescue. There was no photography at the time of the rescue. Magazines and newspapers therefore employed artists to illustrate rescue scenes and draw portraits of Grace. 

This document is a printed image of the Forfarshire rescue ‘Grace Darling & Her Father’. The title is important. Grace Darling is named but her father, William, isn’t. Much of the publicity around the rescue focussed on Grace’s role in it. It was very unusual for a woman to be involved in a rescue in the early part of the 19^th century. Grace was treated as a celebrity after the rescue. There was no photography at the time of the rescue. Magazines and newspapers therefore employed artists to illustrate rescue scenes and draw portraits of Grace.  

This document is a handbill printed to advertise a sailing trip on a ship called ‘The Tweedside’ to the Farne Islands to visit Grace Darling at the Longstone Lighthouse. The visit was planned for Whit Monday 1839. The handbill tells us that the trip will start from Newcastle, pick up passengers in North Shields, visit the Farne Islands, then go on to Berwick before returning via The Farne Islands and North Sunderland (Seahouses).

A handbill was a printed notices that was circulated to members of the public usually to advertise an event. Have you spotted the old spelling for Farne Islands – Ferns? 

The document shows the huge public interest in the Darling family after the rescue of survivors from the Forfarshire.