Darling, Grace Horsley (1815-1842), became a famous English heroine by helping save survivors of a shipwreck. She lived in Longstone Lighthouse on one of the Farne Islands, off the English coast. Her father was keeper of the lighthouse. The steamer Forfarshire was wrecked during a storm on Sept. 7, 1838. Through a telescope, she saw several people clinging to a rock. She and her father rowed to the rescue, despite the continuing storm, and managed to save nine people. Newspapers in the United Kingdom described Grace as an amazing heroine, and the Royal Humane Society awarded both her and her father gold medals for lifesaving.
Grace Darling was born on Nov. 24, 1815, in Bamborough, Northumberland. She died of tuberculosis on Oct. 20, 1842.
