07/09/2026
On this day | 7 September 1838 🌊
188 years ago today, one of Northumberland’s most remarkable stories of courage unfolded just a few miles from Bamburgh Castle.
In the early hours of 7 September 1838, the Forfarshire was wrecked on the Farne Islands. From Longstone Lighthouse, 22-year-old Grace Darling and her father William set out into the storm in their small coble, helping to rescue nine survivors.
Grace’s story is deeply woven into Bamburgh’s history. Born here in 1815, her maternal grandfather, Job Horsley, was head gardener to the Bamburgh Castle Estate (including the now Bamburgh Walled Garden site), while the Castle itself has a long history of maritime rescue and helping those in distress along this treacherous coastline.
Today, as we look out from the Castle towards the Farne Islands, we remember Grace and her remarkable courage on this day 188 years ago.
Grace Darling | 1815–1842
Image: Grace Darling by John Wilson Carmichael (1799–1868), RNLI Grace Darling Museum collection. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
