William Darling

William Darling

from Grace Darling website

William Darling, Grace Darling's father, spent his early years in Belford until the family moved to Brownsman Island in 1795. In his teens he worked as a labourer in Bamburgh but as the youngest son he was destined to help his father and he became assistant lighthouse keeper at Brownsman, employed by Trinity House.

On 1 July 1805 he married Thomasin Horsley in Bamburgh. He was 19; she was 31. They had nine children, including two sets of twins.

Upon Robert Darling’s death in 1815 William succeeded him as lighthouse keeper on a salary of £70 a year. Just two months later his seventh child, Grace, came into the world. The family moved to the new Longstone Lighthouse in 1826. At the time of the Forfarshire rescue William was 52 years old. His ‘Journal’ reveals that he made many rescues at sea. A keen naturalist, William kept records of bird counts and corresponded with ornithologists and with museums.

He continued as lighthouse keeper until 1860 when he retired and moved to Bamburgh, living in a fine house, ‘The Wyndings’. He is buried in the Darling family grave in Bamburgh churchyard.

1841 Census:

• Relation to head Name Age
• Head (implied) William Darling 55 - 59
• Wife (implied) Thomasin Darling 55 - 59
• Mary Carr 25 - 29
• Daughter (implied) Grace Darling 20 - 24
• Son (implied) W B Darling 22
• Daughter (implied) Jane Darling 25 - 29

1851 Census:

• William Darling
• Gender: Male
• Birth: Circa 1786
• Belford, Northumberland, England
• Residence: 1851
• 4 Longston Island, Fern Islands Extra Parochial, Northumberland, England
• Age: 65
• Marital status: Widower
• Occupation: Lightkeeper
• Daughter: Thomason Darling
• Census
• Township: Fern Islands Extra Parochial Series: HO107 Page: 190
• Registration district: Belford Piece: 2420 Family: 4
• County: Northumberland Registrar's district: Belford Union Line: 11
• Country: England Enumerated by: Thomas King Image: 2
• Date: 1851 Enum. District: 29

household members

• Relation to head Name Age
• Head William Darling 65
• Daughter Thomason Darling 43
• Granddaughter Georgean Dixon Cars 11
• Servant Isabella Ormstone 26