Thousla Cross, a concrete memorial that commemorates a group of brave locals who saved the crew and passengers of a wrecked ship.

The Isle of Man, throughout its history, has seen its fair share of shipwrecks, with over 1,126 recorded within Manx territorial waters just 12 miles offshore of the island.
One which is rather significant to the Manx people of the Isle of Man is located on the southeastern tip of the island near the Calf of Man Islands.
The Thousla Cross stands at the southern tip of the Isle of Man as a symbol of a tragedy and the ensuing heroism of the locals who braved the elements and treacherous waters to give aid to a French schooner the “Jeaune St. Charles”.

It was here, in fact, on April 8, 1858, that a number of brave locals came to the rescue of the vessel.
On a voyage from Pontrieux, France, to Londonderry, Northern Ireland, the ship had taken on water from the rough seas around the Isle of Man, but luckily Captain Joseph Jegou had managed to drop anchors in the channel between the Isle of Man and the Calf of Man Islands.
It was decided that the ship would be abandoned and, consequently, everyone would board longboats trying to find shelter on land but, unfortunately, the longboats did not get very far as the strong winds and relentless sea and, eventually, got pinned against the Thousla Rocks, the small rocky islands of the Calf of Man.
At first light, local farmers noticed the dangerous situation that the vessel, its crew, and its passengers were in, and so they decided to take two rowboats from nearby Port St Mary for a desperate rescue attempt.
And luckily, thanks to their skilled seamanship, they managed to rescue the crew and passengers of the Jeune St Charles.
The wreck of the “Jeaune St. Charles” resulted in the loss of two lives but four mariners were rescued at the second attempt in the face of the raging wind and furious seas thanks to the heroic efforts of Henry Qualtrough, Thomas Taubman, John Maddrell, Edward Fargher and Thomas Keig.

To commemorate their brave actions, a wooden cross and plaque were placed at the site.
“THE THOUSLA CROSS TO COMMEMORATE AN ACT OF HEROISM BY MEN OF THIS PARISH IN THEIR RESCUE OF THE CREW OF THE FRENCH SCHOONER “JEANE ST. CHARLES” IN 1858.”
Reads the stone plaque inscription.

The original Thousla Cross was an Iron Cross of Lorraine set on top of a beacon on Thousla Rock and constructed by the Northern Lighthouse Board following the loss of the “Jeaune St. Charles” to provide a refuge where shipwrecked mariners could remain out of reach of wind and sea.
The beacon was completed in 1859 and the Cross was paid for by monies raised in France.

Both the Beacon and the Cross were unfortunately destroyed in November 1905 and it was not until 1907 that the Northern Lighthouse Board awarded a Port St. Mary firm a contract to build a concrete structure on Thousla Rock, and the original monument was replaced with a concrete structure that stands still today, looking out towards the sea.
Another wooden cross placed on the Thousla Rocks lasted until 1980 and was later replaced with a gas-powered light to warn incoming ships of the dangerous conditions.

Images from web – Google Research