A bit of Grace

We all want something to remember our heroes and heroines by. Today we use photographs and follow those we admire on social media. Many people admired Grace Darling. Lots of people wrote to Grace offering her gifts and asking for something to remember her by. In the 1800s, one of the best ways of remembering someone was to ask for a piece of their hair.

Grace sent many locks of her hair to people from all over the British Isles. Some pieces were turned into jewellery, or plaited and coiled. A lock of Grace’s hair would have been displayed in someone’s home and shown to friends. This example has been put in a presentation case along with a piece of Grace’s dress. Grace’s hair was dark brown but this piece of hair has been left in the light for so long that it has turned almost completely white.

Grace Darling in 10 objects

The RNLI Grace Darling Museum can’t portray the world in 100 objects; but we can give you more information about the life of one of its most celebrated heroines by focusing on the details of 10 different objects on display in the museum.

These pages help you to explore parts of the collection that you can’t easily see in the displays. Click through to see all the objects.