The Brig "Visiter"
On the 18th January 1881 the Brig
ran ashore in Robin Hood's Bay. No local boat could be launched on account
of the violence of the storm, so the Whitby lifeboat was brought overland
past this point ~ a distance of 6 miles ~ through snowdrifts 7 feet deep on a
road rising to 500 feet, with 200 men clearing the way ahead and with
18 horses heaving at the tow lines, whilst men worked uphill towards them
from the Bay. The lifeboat was launched two hours after leaving Whitby
and at the second attempt, the crew of the Visiter were saved.
So that future generations may remember the bravery of Coxswain Henry
Freeman, and the lifeboatmen, and the dogged determination of the people
of Whitby, Hawsker and Robin Hood's Bay, who overcame such difficulties,
this memorial was erected in 1981.
Donated by J.H.V.S and S.W.