The Lifeboat Baronet: Launching the RNLI

In this historical biography, the life story of the founder of the United Kingdom’s royal charitable lifeboat service is revealed for the first time.

Established in the nineteenth century when death from shipwreck was a tragic reality, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) was created with the sole mission of saving lives. But little is known about the RNLI’s founder, Sir William Hillary. A handsome, charismatic figure known to be something of a philanderer, Hillary was a social climber born to a slave-holder’s family in Liverpool who mingled with royalty and married an heiress. So how did Hillary become one of England’s national heroes?

Historian and bestselling author of The Arcanum Janet Gleeson reveals for the first time how a charming adventurer was inspired to lead the historic campaign for the creation of the National Institute for the Preservation of Life (today’s RNLI). Despite having never learned to swim himself, Hillary braved terrifying storms to save hundreds of lives during his quest. Drawing on previously unpublished letters—many of them written by Hillary himself—Gleeson narrates the fascinating story of the RNLI’s development, along with the Hillary’s political ties and private tribulations.

For history lovers and fans of maritime adventure stories, Lifeboat Baronet is an absorbing account of how a Regency rake improbably became an important Victorian philanthropist and reformer.