On the Queen's Bench

Many hostelries carry the name of the late Queen Victoria, and the village of Bamburgh was a thriving an important village in Victorian times.

tg July challenge - God save the Queen

However, in the early Victorian period, it was used for inquests, including 2 inquests into the deaths from the wreck of the Forfarshire steamship, which featured in the dramatic rescue, famous for the first rescue at sea by a female, the local heroine, Grace Darling. On the first inquest they blamed the shipping company for recklessness and fined them £100. A further inquest on a body found later, however, exonerated them, with a verdict from the Bench of accidental death.

Heartfreek July challenge - On a Bench