Laura Janet Memorial Cross

A red sandstone memorial cross sculpted by W B Rhind located in St Annes Parish churchyard and unveiled in 1887 to the five crew members of the lifeboat Laura Janet who died during the attempted rescue of the crew of the German barque Mexico adrift in the Ribble estuary on 9th December 1886.

The memorial is in the form of a Celtic cross about 2.5m tall set into a stepped and tapering plinth that is stood on a stone base set into the ground. The cross shaft is carved with interlaced decoration on its east face and beneath the cross head there is a panel bearing the inscription 'IN MEMORY OF / CHARLES TIMS / AGED 43 YEARS / RUEBEN M TIMS / AGED 30 THOMAS / BONNEY AGED 35 / JAMES DOBSON / AGED 23 THOMAS / PARKINSON AGED / 28 MEMBERS OF / THE ST ANNES / LIFEBOAT CREW / WHO PERISHED IN / THE ATTEMPT TO / RESCUE THE CREW / OF THE MEXICO THE / NIGHT OF DECEMBER / 9TH 1886 / GREATER LOVE / HATH NO MAN THAN / THIS THAT A MAN / LAY DOWN HIS LIFE / FOR HIS FRIENDS / ST JOHN XV 13 / ERECTED BY PUBLIC / SUBSCRIPTION'.

The grave of all five crew members is a double plot with a stone slab and grass with stone edging to either side. The memorial cross is centrally placed on the stone slab.