Grave monument to James Gall

Summary

Grave marker in the form of a lighthouse, 1889, erected by public subscription.

Reasons for Designation

The grave monument of James Gall erected in 1889 is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:

* it commemorates the death of the last survivor of the SS Forfarshire, wrecked on the north-east coast in September 1838, and made famous by the celebrated Victorian heroine Grace Darling who courageously participated in the rescue of survivors from the wreck;
* in 1838 the rescue was recognised by the relatively youthful RNLI by the awarding of silver medals for bravery to Grace and her father, and in 1888 the RNLI took a lead in commemorating James Gall and reviving the interest in Grace’s remarkable rescue.

Architectural interest:

* it is an unusual example of a bespoke grave monument in the form of a 10-foot-tall lighthouse that uses good materials and displays an overall high quality of craftsmanship, incorporating much carved detail.

Group value:

* the grave within Barrow Cemetery, contributes to a functionally related group of Grade II-listed buildings and structures including the cemetery entrance gate and lodges, a North lodge and a Roman Catholic Chapel by Paley and Austen, associated boundary walls and railings and a grave monument to James Ramsden.

History

The Steam Ship Forfarshire was made famous by Grace Horsley Darling (1815-1842) and her father, keeper of the Longstone lighthouse, Northumberland (Grade II; National Heritage List for England (NHLE) entry 1234462). She became a national heroine following the wreck of the Forfarshire on the Farne Islands during a storm on 7 September 1838. Grace and her father set out in their coble through stormy seas and rescued five survivors, and her father returned with two of the survivors to rescue another four people. Grace Darling's act of bravery and heroism became internationally known, making front page news and even reaching Queen Victoria; such a rescue against all the odds caught the imagination of the public. Both Grace and her father were awarded the silver medal for bravery by the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, which had been formed in 1824. Grace died of tuberculosis four years later on 20 October 1842. She is commemorated by a tomb in St Aidan’s churchyard, Bamburgh to designs of Anthony Salvin (Grade II*-listed; NHLE entry 1206625).

James Gall (1822-1888) was a young survivor of the Steam Ship Forfarshire. He had been a fireman on board the ship and sustained three broken ribs during his escape aboard a lifeboat. Given the stormy conditions, he and other survivors had to stay at the lighthouse for two days where his injuries were attended to by Grace Darling and her family.

Some 50 years later in 1888, Captain Stokes, local secretary to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (renamed in 1854), had a letter published in the Barrow News drawing attention to the presence in Barrow of someone thought to be the last survivor of the SS Forfarshire. This survivor was James Gall, who had been living with his son at Egerton Chambers Barrow Island, and who subsequently died in December 1888. Awareness having been raised, an evening of song at Barrow Town Hall was held to raise funds for the erection of a memorial to Mr Gall, and thereby evoke the memory of Grace Darling. The chosen design for the memorial was a scaled-down version of a lighthouse. It is unclear whether the lighthouse monument is based upon a specific example such as Longstone lighthouse; it does share a close similarity with the Barrow Monument on Hoad Hill, a sea mark and monument to Sir John Barrow (Grade II*; NHLE entry 1375003). Over the following months, the letters pages of the Barrow News indicate a dispute about where the memorial should be sited: on the grave of James Gall or in another part of the town. Siting the memorial on his grave prevailed and was supported by his son, which is where it stands today.

Details

Grave monument in the form of a lighthouse, 1889, erected by public subscription.

MATERIALS: limestone, and rusticated limestone base.

DESCRIPTION: a grave monument within Barrow Cemetery, in the form of a 10-foot-tall tapering lighthouse set upon a rusticated square base and plinth. The lighthouse is well-detailed and comprises a concave base with a recessed lighthouse entrance, reached by a series of 15 stone steps; the entrance has a carved door with strap hinges and a circular knocker. Above this, the tall tapering tower of the structure is scored to represent ashlar stone and has carved-out windows around most sides lighting the spiral staircase within. It rises to the projecting circular gallery, above which is the light room and then the lamp itself with a domed roof. Although rather slimmer than most actual lighthouses, it is an accurate depiction.

The front face of the plinth bears the inscription:

ERECTED/ BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION IN MEMORY OF/JAMES GALL/ONE OF THE CREW OF THE “FORFARSHIRE”/[DIED DEC. 25TH 1888]/AND TO COMMEMORATE THE HEROISM OF GRACE DARLING/IN RESCUING 9 MEN FROM THE WRECK OF THAT UNFORTUNATE/VESSEL. A.D. 1838.

Sources

Websites
Furness: Stories Behind the Stones, accessed 22 April 2024 from https://furnessstoriesbehindthestones.co.uk/stories/gall-james/
Grace Darling; Victorian Heroine of Wreck and Rescue, Historic England, 2024, accessed 22 April 2024 from https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/womens-history/maritime-women/grace-darling/

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