Grace Darling

Grace Horsley Darling (24 November 1815 – 20 October 1842) was an English lighthouse keeper's daughter, famed for participating in the rescue of survivors from the shipwrecked Forfarshire in 1838. The paddlesteamer ran aground on the Farne Islands off the coast of Northumberland in northeast England; nine members of her crew were saved.

Biography

Grace Darling was born on 24 November 1815 at her grandfather's cottage in Bamburgh in Northumberland. She was the seventh of nine children (four brothers and four sisters) born to William and Thomasin Darling, and when only a few weeks old she was taken to live on Brownsman Island, one of the Farne Islands, in a small cottage attached to the lighthouse.

Her father ran the lighthouse (built in 1795) for Trinity House and earned a salary of £70 per annum with a bonus of £10 for satisfactory service. The accommodation was basic and the lighthouse was not in the best position to guide shipping to safety, so in 1826 the family moved to the newly constructed lighthouse on Longstone Island.

Grace Darling (song)

"Grace Darling" is a song by English band Strawbs, featured on their album Ghosts (recorded 1974, released 1975). The track was recorded at in the chapel of the Charterhouse School, Godalming, Surrey, which the members of the band Genesis had attended in the 1960s, and which Strawbs' producer at the time, Tom Allom, had also attended. According to Dave Cousins, the chapel's pipe organ was used, played by the school organist, Alastair Ross; the band's keyboardist, John Hawken, did not play on the recording, as he was not used to the very noticeable delay that falls between the pressing of a key on a pipe organ and the sounding of the corresponding note. Choral accompaniment was provided by the school choir.

Lyrical and musical content

The title derives from the refrain "You are my saving grace/Darling, I love you," which references the Victorian heroine Grace Darling. The lyrics contain references to storms, lifeboats and other nautical-related items. The song compares the singer's paramour to the famous lighthouse keeper's daughter, expressing gratitude that she is steadfast and has helped him through dark times with her constant love.