DARLING Family

Many people are interested in the heroine, Grace Darling. For a short time our family thought they might be related to her through one of her brothers, George Alexander Darling. I did some research to try and prove a link but sadly there seems not to be one. I reproduce below all I have found out about Grace Darling and her family in the hope it might be of interest to someone else.

I am indebted to Brian Pears for the Family Tree of Grace Darling. Since creating this page, I have been contacted by John Elkin who has given me a much more detailed family tree for Grace Darling. From the 1881 Census I have been able to add some new information to this file. Please see this page for more information.

Please see my Belford web page for my Walker, Norris, Vass, Cuthbertson and other genealogy.

Robert Darling

Born Dunse, Scotland on 11 March 1746
Died 25 September 1815

Married 1769, to:

Elizabeth Clarke

Born around 1743
Died 14 August 1813

Their son:

William Darling

Born 7 Feb 1786
Died 16 October, 1848

Married 1 July 1805, to:

Thomasin Horsley

Born around 1790
Died 28 May 1865

William and Thomasin had nine children

• William born 1806
• Thomasin and Mary (twins) born 1807
• Job Horsley born 1810
• Elizabeth Grace 1811
• Robert 1814
• Grace Horsley Darling
• • born 8 a.m. 24 November 1815
  • died unmarried 20 October 1842
• William Brooks and George Alexander Darling (twins) born 1819

Note: I have found a burial in North Sunderland on April 4th, 1882 for an Ann Darling (birth approx. 1811), and she may be another sister.

George Alexander Darling

George Alexander was born in Fern Island (one of twins)

He married:

Jane Martha Hall

Born about 1819

George and Jane had at least 11 children

• Thomas Darling, born about 1839 in Newcastle, All Saints
• William Darling, born about 1841 in Newcastle, All Saints
• Grace Horsley Darling, baptised March 12, 1843, St. Paul's Church, North Sunderland
• Mary Ann Elizabeth Darling, baptised February 22, 1845, St Paul's Church, North Sunderland
• Elizabeth Grace Darling, baptised December 27, 1846, St Paul's Church, North Sunderland, died 1855
• Jane Darling, born about 1849 in North Sunderland
• Isabella Walker Darling, born December 24, 1850 in North Sunderland, died 1869
• Catherina Ann and Georgina Darling (twins) baptised May 1st, 1853
• Margaret Horsley Darling, baptised October 6, 1855
• George Alexander Darling, baptised June 28, 1857, died the same year

There are also records of the burials of three other Darlings. There is no mention of their parentage and I did not notice any baptismal records for them.

• Robert Hall Darling, born 1860 and died in 1867
• Elizabeth Grace Darling, born in 1861 and died in 1862
• Trowdon Darling, born in 1866 and died in 1867

Page last updated on 26th June 1999 by Julie Schofield.

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