Sir William Hillary, 1st Baronet was a British military officer, author, and philanthropist. He was born in 1771 into a Yorkshire Quaker family and is recorded as living in Douglas Isle of Mann in 1808.
Whilst living on Douglas he had been involved in several rescues of sailors stranded on Conister Rock which led to him putting forward the original proposal for the National Lifeboat Institution.
So, on Monday 4th March 1824, Sir William Hillary’s vision for a service dedicated to saving lives at sea became a reality at a meeting in Bishopsgate’s City of London Tavern. The National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, which subsequently became the Royal National Lifeboat Institution was founded that day and has just celebrated its 200 year birthday.
Later Sir William also used his endeavours to organise the building of a structure to give shelter to sailors wrecked on the Conister Rock. The rock had been in the ownership of the Quane family for many years and in 1832 Captain John Quane, Attorney General of the Isle of Man, presented the rock to Sir William Hillary in his capacity as President of the Isle of Man District of what was then referred to as the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, which subsequently became the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.[4] The structure is castellated in the style of the 13th century, having hanging parapets and corbels similar to those at Peel Castle and Castle Rushen.
The tower originally housed a bell for the summoning of help and in addition the tower was stocked with provisions such as bread and fresh water for any shipwrecked persons. A further idea was to have a small boat accommodated within the structure, but this was not continued with.[2][3]
He contributed a high proportion of the costs himself and secured public contributions to complete the structure which was named the Tower of Refuge.
He has a lasting memorial in the granite stone castellated structure Tower of Refuge built on St. Mary’s Isle (Conister Rock) in Douglas Harbour which was completed in 1832 and dedicated to the RNLI. Today the Tower of Refuge and St Mary’s Isle remains in the custodianship of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
Oh, Hillary! thy philanthropic heart
In love hath raised this magic piece of art;
The bay’s chief ornament, with use combined.
It stands the beacon, too, of thy great mind!