Inside was a candle, a books of poems and a tribute which read: “Please remember in your prayers the young girl who died on Wednesday in a tragic accident.

“Remember also all her family and all affected by this incident.”

It is not the first rock fall tragedy to happen along the British coastline.

Villagers living close to where the girl – who has not been named – have said the cliffs there are notoriously unstable.

It is understood the youngster was visiting Staithes with her mother when the tragedy happened on Wednesday, just on the other side of the sea wall to the harbour, at the eastern of the village.

The scene was around 100m beyond a prominent red sign, screwed to the rock face, which warns of the dangers of the cliffs.

But people who live in Staithes said visitors are often not aware of the constantly crumbling nature of the shale rock, saying youngsters often hack it with hammers looking for fossils.

North Yorkshire Police said the girl died after suffering serious head injuries at around 4.45pm on Wednesday.

A spokesman said: “Sadly, despite the efforts of the emergency services, the girl died at the scene from her injuries.”

“The beach was reopen on Wednesday afternoon and some people laid flowers on the harbour wall, close to the scene.”

A single sunflower was…

A reader poll conducted by BBC History Magazine saw Marie Curie come out on top.

The Polish-born French scientist, who became the first person to win two Nobel prizes – one for physics and one for chemistry – carried out important research into radioactivity, a term that she coined.

Her discoveries launched effective cures for cancer and helped in the development of X-rays in surgery.

Civil Rights campaigner Rosa Parks was second while leader of the suffragette movement Emmeline Pankhurst was third.

BBC History Magazine deputy editor Charlotte Hodgman said: “The poll has shone a light on some truly extraordinary women from history, many of whose achievements and talents were overlooked in their own lifetimes.

“It is fitting that, in a year that has seen the 100th anniversary of the parliamentary Act that gave the vote to many British women, suffrage campaigners Emmeline Pankhurst and Josephine Butler have been voted into the top 20.

“Whilst it is unsurprising to see queens such as Victoria and Eleanor of Aquitaine place high, it is refreshing to see some more unfamiliar names make the top 20, such as 19th-century philanthropist Angela Burdett-Coutts. I’m sure the full list will provoke conversation and debate.”

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Monks at Ampleforth in North Yorkshire (pictured above) and Downside in Somerset hid allegations of “appalling sexual abuse” against pupils as young as seven to protect the church’s reputation.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) made the claims in a withering report on the English Benedictine Congregation, which has 10 monasteries in England and Wales.

Ampleforth and Downside are two schools linked to the monasteries, run at times by “secretive, evasive and suspicious” church officials who avoided reporting misconduct to police and social services.

Allegations stretching back to the 1960s encompassed “a wide spectrum of physical abuse, much of which had sadistic and sexual overtones”, according to the report.

Ten individuals linked to the schools, mainly monks, have been cautioned or convicted over sexual activity or pornography offences involving a “large number of children”.

“The true scale of the abuse however is likely to be considerably higher,” the investigation, led by Professor Alexis Jay (pictured below), found.

The report followed several weeks of evidence hearings at the inquiry last year, which included personal accounts from victims.

Victims were as young as 11 at Downside and seven at Ampleforth.

One alleged offender at Ampleforth abused at least 11 children aged between eight and 12 over a “sustained period of time”, but died before police could investigate.

“Many perpetrators…

In a statement on the church website the elders apologised to all the women who’ve made claims against Hybels.

They said his sins were beyond what he previously admitted and asked for forgiveness over the way they handled the situation.

“To all of the women who have come forward, the church should always follow in Jesus’ footsteps to help the wounded find healing, and we are sorry we added to your pain,” they said. “That was not our intention, and we regret that it has taken us this long to acknowledge that.

“While we will probably never know with certainty everything that’s true about each of your stories, we have no reason not to believe you.

“We are sorry that our initial statements were so insensitive, defensive, and reflexively protective of Bill. We exhort Bill to acknowledge his sin and publicly apologize.

Lead Pastor Heather Larson has also resigned suggesting trust has been broken by the church’s leadership and urgent action was required.

Steve Gillen – who has previously worked in numerous roles within Willow Creek – will now take up the role of lead pastor.

Bill Hybels has been accused of numerous counts of sexual misconduct, with the latest claim being made in the New York Times that he indecently touched a former assistant.

While Hybels stood down from church ministry when the allegations first surfaced, he denied wrongdoing but apologised for being “unwise” and potentially misleading…