Lid of a snuff box owned by the Reverend John Robb

We carry our treasured possessions in our pockets and bags. This snuff box was found in the pocket of Rev John Robb’s clothing. The reverend had been a passenger on the SS Forfarshire. Unfortunately, he did not survive to be rescued by the Darlings. His body was recovered from the wreck of the Forfarshire on 9 September 1838 by the lifeboat crew from North Sunderland, when they returned from Longstone Lighthouse.

The snuff box lid is made of wood from ‘Old London Bridge’. Making items out of materials from iconic objects is not a new idea. From the sales of pieces of the 'true cross’ in the Middle Ages, to present-day auctions for the clothes and mementos once owned by celebrities. Many items were made from the wood of the SS Forfarshire. The RNLI Grace Darling Museum has a table, a box, and a miniature easel that are all made out of wood from the shipwreck.

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.