The gansey created in honour of Redcar lifeboat man

Family history can open unexpected doors, and for John Stafford it revealed a connection to two very different maritime figures – the world‑famous explorer Captain James Cook, and the lesser‑known but deeply heroic Redcar lifeboatman William Guy.

Cook’s exploits are well documented, but Guy’s story – and the new garment inspired by him – has rarely been told.

William Guy, a marine pilot and volunteer lifeboatman, died on Christmas Day in 1836 while serving as part of the crew that launched Redcar’s Zetland lifeboat during a fierce storm.

‘The launch’ of The Zetland, a painting by John Freeman. William Guy died while attempting to rescue a floundering Danish brig (Image: JOHN STAFFORD)

He drowned while attempting to rescue the crew of the Danish brig ‘Caroline’, which had run aground on Salt Scar rocks during the storm.

A gansey – a traditional fisherman’s jumper – has now been designed and made in his honour.

John Stafford, a distant relative of Mr Guy who helped bring the tribute to life, said: “Family history throws up a lot of surprises.

“Despite being born in the landlocked East Midlands I am proud to find that I have distant maritime links to both the explorer Captain James Cook, and the heroic lifeboatman William Guy.

“Cook’s story is well known but the story of William Guy less so. He, however, is the inspiration behind the unique Redcar ‘Guy’ gansey.”

William Guy was born in Redcar in 1795.

In 1818, he married Mary Wilson, and together they had five children.

A devoutly religious man, Mr Guy worked as a marine pilot and also volunteered as a lifeboatman.

On Christmas Day 1836, a violent storm swept the Danish brig Caroline towards the Salt Scar rocks off Redcar.

William Guy’s herosim was recognised by an RNLI Commendation certificate in 1995 (Image: JOHN STAFFORD)

As the vessel struggled in the raging sea, the decision was taken to launch the Zetland. The call went out for volunteers and William left his family in chapel to join the crew battling the gale‑force winds and towering waves.

As the bowman, he stood at the front of the Zetland lifeboat to throw a line to the stricken ship but was swept overboard by a massive wave.

The lifeboat and the rest of her exhausted crew were washed ashore, but William was drowned – the only member of the Redcar crew to die in the attempt.

His body was discovered 17 days later at Sandy Wyke in Staithes and buried in March 1837 at St Peter’s Church in Redcar.

His name is inscribed on the RNLI memorial outside its training centre in Poole.

The William Guy gansey honours the man who died attempting a rescue on Redcar’s ‘Zetland’ lifeboat (Image: JOHN STAFFORD)

The Zetland lifeboat, the oldest surviving lifeboat in the world, is now displayed at Redcar’s Zetland Lifeboat Museum.

Despite a variety of patterns arising from many of Britain’s seafaring towns and villages, including Cullercoats, Staithes, Whitby, Robin Hood’s Bay and Scarborough, Redcar appears to lack its own distinctive pattern.

Mr Stafford, having taken up knitting, set out to design a gansey in tribute to Mr Guy.

His early attempts proved too challenging – knitting a one-piece jumper in-the-round with complex patterns, gussets and shoulder straps to contend with proved too much for his amateur skills.

Sketches of original design ideas by John Stafford (Image: JOHN STAFFORD)

So, armed with a few design thoughts, he decided to seek the help of Deb Gillanders, who runs the annual Propagansey exhibition (www.propagansey.co.uk) and workshops at Robin Hood’s Bay.

Mr Stafford said: “Together we worked up the design, me throwing in ideas and Deb suggesting how they could be worked together to create a fitting tribute to William.”

The finished gansey incorporates anchors and hearts, with the anchors featuring a cross motif to reflect Mr Guy’s Christian faith, his steadfastness, and his maritime calling.

The hearts represent his love for the sea and his family.

Rope cables are included to signify his seafaring profession, while columns of ‘Z’s pay tribute to the Zetland lifeboat and the support fund established by the Earl of Zetland (Lord Dundas) for Mr Guy’s widow and children.

The William Guy gansey features anchors and hearts (Image: JOHN STAFFORD)

The gansey was completed earlier this year.

Mr Stafford said: “This fitting memorial, completed 190 years after Williams Guy’s death, stands as a tribute to his bravery and that of lifeboat crews volunteering around our shores.

“Redcar, at last, has its own distinctive Redcar ‘Guy’ gansey design.”

John Stafford wearing the gansey he desirned as a tribute to his distant relative, William Guy, who died carrying out a rescue in Redcar (Image: JOHN STAFFORD)

Ganseys are traditionally hand-knitted jumpers worn for generations by fishermen.

They feature complex patterns unique to families or locations, often representing elements of the maritime environment, and are made from fine natural yarns that provide warmth and some water resistance, while allowing freedom of movement.

Mr Guy’s story now lives on not only through the Zetland lifeboat but also in a pattern that will be forever associated with Redcar’s maritime history.

The gansey joins a long lineage of coastal designs, honouring the men who braved the sea to save others.

It serves as a reminder of both personal sacrifice and the enduring spirit of coastal communities.