Since men first took to sea in boats, shipwrecks have been a regular and tragic hazard. Major shipwrecks, with significant losses of life, became more common in the 19th century when shipping was the primary method for transporting goods and people over substantial distances. One notoriously dangerous place off the coast of England is the Isle of Man. This island lies between the east coast of England and Ireland, in the Irish Sea and is surrounded by hidden reefs that are a potential graveyard for ships.
In the early years of the 19th century, the Isle of Man was home to Sir William Hillary, a minor noble who had managed to squander the large fortune he had inherited. Consequently, he was on the island to avoid his creditors, as well as the family of his irate first wife. Born a Quaker, but now not a practicing one, it may nevertheless have been his Quaker sensibilities that affected him when, on the night of the 14 th of December, 1822, the Royal Navy ship HMS Racehorse foundered on rocky reefs off the southeast coast of the island. Five intrepid local men from Castletown, then the capital, made four trips to the wreck to rescue sailors, but in the end, six men from the ship and three of the rescuers drowned.
Accounts vary as to whether Sir William actually took part in the rescue, or just heard accounts of it, but he was moved by the experience and decided to establish an organisation that would provide rescue services, not only on the Isle of Man but across Britain. In February of the following year, he published a pamphlet entitled An Appeal To The British Navy On The Humanity And Policy Of Forming A National Institution For The Preservation Of Lives And Property From Shipwreck.
The Conister Shoals and St Mary’s Isle lie off the harbour of Douglas on the Isle of Man. This was another ‘hot spot’ for shipwrecks, and although Hillary may not have been there for the wreck of HMS Racehorse, when he saw the packet steamer St. George being washed onto the Shoals on the stormy night of the 19th of November, 1830, he raced to the docks, put together a volunteer crew and set out in a lifeboat to rescue the ship. The lifeboat was almost swamped, and the 60 year old Sir William was washed overboard, but eventually, after a great effort, the crew of 22 and all the 18 on the lifeboat made it safely back into Douglas Harbour. In all, Sir William is credited with being personally involved in saving 300 lives at sea.
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