Laura Janet Memorial Cross

The Laura Janet Memorial Cross is a red sandstone memorial located in the churchyard of St Annes Parish. It was sculpted by W B Rhind and unveiled in 1887 to honor the five crew members of the lifeboat Laura Janet, who lost their lives during an attempted rescue of the crew of the German barque Mexico, which was adrift in the Ribble estuary on December 9, 1886.

This memorial takes the form of a Celtic cross, approximately 2.5 meters tall, set on a stepped and tapering plinth, which itself stands on a stone base embedded in the ground. The shaft of the cross features interlaced decoration on its east face. Beneath the cross head is a panel that bears 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 the five crew members is a double plot, featuring a stone slab and grass, with stone edging on either side. The memorial cross is centrally positioned on the stone slab.