This document is a copy of a letter written by William Darling, father of Grace Darling, to Mr. Herbert at Trinity House, London. William was Keeper of the Longstone Lighthouse on the Farne Islands, off the Northumberland coast. Trinity House is the organisation responsible for looking after lighthouses in England and Wales.  

In the letter, William Darling describes the events of 7 September 1838. We learn that William and Grace were ‘on alert’ and that at quarter to five in the morning 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.