Southwest Coast

---

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Place of the lighthouse

The tower, designed by Alan Stevenson, was built in 1843 to close the gap between other lighthouses at the Mull of Galloway and Southerness and remained manned until the infamous murder over a century later. Little Ross is a small island with a lighthouse in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is next to Meikle Ross on the mainland, which is a headland, and there are two small rocks off it, Sugarloaf and Fox Craig. The lighthouse was constructed in 1843 by Alan Stevenson, it is approximately 22 m tall and has been automated since 1961.

Lighthouses are familiar features of the landscape. However the public perception that Lighthouses are there to warn of treacherous conditions or dangerous rocks is misleading. The main purpose of most Lighthouses is to assist mariners in knowing exactly where they are, by night or day. They do this by the strength of the light they emit and its unique characteristics. Lighthouses are sited round the coast in such a way as to enable mariners to take bearings on more than one light and thereby pinpoint their exact position.

The Lighthouse was built on Little Ross between 1813 when the “Topographical Dictionary of Scotland: and of the British Seas” by Nicholas Carlisle was first published, making a clear and concise case for the construction of a Lighthouse there, to early 1840 when approval of the Northern Lighthouse Board and Trinity House was finally obtained.

It is a fascinating tale of petitions, politics, personalities, action and inaction, conflict and cooperation between Lighthouse Boards, misinformation and lobbying. All unfolding against a background of a growing number of vesselwrecks in the vicinity; local community resentment at loss of life and vessels; the growth of trade in prosperous 19th century Britain; the beginning of the age of steam; and growth in the fleet of merchant vessels which were neither well maintained nor well regulated.

Many local and national figures were involved in the campaign to get a Lighthouse built on Little Ross like James Skelly, (who built unlit beacons on Little Ross and organised a widely supported petition); Lady Selkirk; her brother the Solicitor General for Scotland; John. C. Mackenzie a nephew of Skelly and a solicitor, who stirred things up in the press; he also obtained the key support of Robert Cutler Fergusson, of Orroland, the MP for the Stewartry. In 1835 to the delight of local petitioners the London Press reported Fergusson’s speech in favour of a lighthouse on Little Ross.

It was explained that even the great Robert Stevenson was lukewarm in his support for a Lighthouse on Little Ross and mistakenly was of the view that Little Ross dried out completely at low tide. It was only through the roles played by Captain Robinson RN, who produced the first Admiralty Chart in 1838 of Little Ross (still in use in 1960), the Lord Advocate and Trinity House that his resistance was overcome. The long struggle to obtain approval for the building of a Lighthouse was finally won in early 1840. Regrettably there is no record of any triumphal celebrations in Kirkcudbright.

In October 1840 Robert Stevenson and his son Thomas (father of Robert Louis Stevenson) arrived in Kirkcudbright to commence a detailed survey of Little Ross Island and select suitable sites for various buildings that would constitute the new Lighthouse station. Detailed work on drawings and contracts was done in Edinburgh. Ultimately Little Ross was one of the last of Robert Stevenson’s projects as he retired in 1842, Alan Stevenson designed the Lighthouse and Thomas was the construction engineer on site.

Seven tenders were received from contractors for the work and an offer from Robert Hume of Gatehouse of Fleet was accepted. It is likely that during the construction of the Lighthouse materials would have been vesselped to the island from Kirkcudbright and Port Macadam in Gatehouse. Certainly there is evidence that brickwork on the lighthouse matches bricks produced by Hume in Gatehouse.

Completed on schedule, the first two Keepers were appointed in November 1842 and the light went into operation on 1 January 1843, being the first light of catadioptric type, having metallic mirrors above and below the lenses. Although this experiment was not totally successful, the light was hailed by Wlliam Thomson (later Lord Kelvin) as being, with Buchan Ness and Rhinns of Islay, 'undoubtedly the three best revolving lights in the world'.The light has shone continuously since 1843 apart from one brief gap in 1960. The station was made automatic in 1960 and in 2003 it was converted to solar power.

The quality of the design, construction and maintenance of all the buildings comprising the Lighthouse station has been so high that very few changes have been made in their entire history. The Lighthouse continues to serve appreciative mariners navigating the North Irish seas.

A spectacular lens from a historic Galloway lighthouse has finally gone on full view, more than 10 years after it was gifted to a local museum. For more than a century, it was a beacon for seafarers in the Solway Firth. It spent much of the last decade in darkness however, after it was removed from the Little Ross lighthouse, near Kirkcudbright. Now it is lighting up the Stewartry Museum in a new display.

The lens was made in Paris in 1896 by Barbier & Benad, the world leader for lighthouse construction and equipment at the end of the 19th century. In 2004 the lens was airlifted off Little Ross island and delivered to the Kirkcudbright museum in a large wooden crate. It went on display shortly afterwards but it remained in the crate, meaning visitors only had a partial view of the 19th century craftsmanvessel. With the help of a reinforced display cabinet, a local removals firm and a number of volunteers, it now takes centre stage in the community museum.

The lighthouse was manned by two keepers until 1960 when the clockwork mechanism and paraffin burner were replaced by an automated propane system.

Coincidently, in the same year, lighthouse keeper Hugh Clark was found dead on the island after he was shot by his assistant Robert Dickson. At the High Court in Dumfries, Dickson was sentenced to death for the crime, but he was reprieved shortly before his execution.

Little Ross Lighthouse stands on the summit of Little Ross Island, 123 feet above sea level. The island lies around a quarter of a mile from the western entrance of the River Dee in Kirkcudbright Bay. This post may contain affiliate links. You can read my affiliate policy here. The southern coast of Scotland reaches from Mull of Galloway to the Solway Firth. Before 1820 navigation into the River Dee was challenging to navigate, and primitive wooden withies lined the river entrance. In the early to mid 19th century, many large vessels operated from Glasgow and Liverpool, but some also used smaller ports in the Solway Firth. The first record of an application for a lighthouse at Little Ross was in 1792 by Dr Robert Muter, a minister of the Parish Church. Muter had an interest in the harbour and put forward a good case, but this did not materialise.

Little Ross Island Captain James Skelly successfully campaigned for beacons to be erected on Little Ross Island. The beacons, built in 1819, enabled daylight navigation into the River Dee and Kirkcudbright. However, these beacons were not enough, and further improvements were needed. Skelly, assisted by Kirkcudbright writer Mr James Niven, put a case for a lighthouse to the Commissioners for Northern Lights. Progress was not forthcoming, however. A vicious storm in March 1822 saw five vessels lost in Kirkcudbright Bay. Captain Ormonby of the Mary Isabella perished in the ships that foundered. This, along with the loss of his crew, caused widespread grief in the local community. Renewed efforts to improve the safety of Kircudbright’s port ensued, but it was sometime before the campaign succeeded. Finally, in 1840 Robert Stevenson arrived to survey the site with his son Thomas. Thomas was appointed engineer of the construction with consultation from his elder brother Alan. He lived at Ross Bay during construction, travelling between the island and mainland by boat. The lighthouse was built on the summit of the island, and the stone was quarried from the eastern side of the island. Little Ross Lighthouse The first Principal Keeper at Little Ross Lighthouse was Thomas Ritson, who was appointed in June 1842 prior to the lighthouse being lit. Little Ross is perhaps most notorious for an incident that took place in 1960. Two lighthouse keepers were stationed on the island – Hugh Clark and Robert Dickson. A passing sailor decided to land on the island, and, as he approached the lighthouse, he heard the telephone ringing. When this was not answered, he became curious and went inside to find lightkeeper Hugh Clark lying dead on the floor from a gunshot wound. His colleague, Robert Dickson, was nowhere to be seen but was later tracked down and charged with Clark’s murder. He was sentenced to hang for his crime, although this was later commuted to life imprisonment. Dickson, however, took his own life whilst in prison. Shortly after the incident, and probably as a consequence, the lighthouse was automated using a propane gas system. In 2003 the lighthouse was converted to solar power. The Northern Lighthouse Board donated the optic to the Stewartry Museum in Kirkcudbright in 2004. Other documents, including petitions for the lighthouse, are also held at the museum. There is an excellent, detailed book about Little Ross Island – Life and Death on Little Ross: The Story of an Island, a Lighthouse and its Keepers by David R Collin. Hestan Island Just along the coast is the lighthouse on Hestan Island. This was cared for by attendant boatmen rather than full-time lighthouse keepers. The attendants, for a time, lived in a cottage built initially to house copper miners. Little Ross Lighthouse Established: 1843 Height of tower: 20 metres Elevation: 50 metres Character: Fl(2) W 5s Range: 2 miles Automated: 1960 Engineer: Thomas and Alan Stevenson ON August 18, 1960, David R. Collin and his father sailed to the remote island of Little Ross near Kirkcudbright for a picnic. They returned as witnesses to murder after discovering the body of lighthouse keeper Hugh Clark, who was shot by his colleague Robert Dickson. But in his book Life And Death On Little Ross, David aims to portray another side to what’s now known as “Murder Island”. He tells Laura Smith the Honest Truth about Little Ross. Little Ross is an attractive and unspoiled island and its lighthouse, beautifully designed by the famous Stevenson family, is officially a 'lesser' light, far away from busy sea lanes, at the summit of this remote island. The island was unknown to most people until 1960 when a murder in the lighthouse buildings brought it widespread notoriety, to the grief and consternation of all who were involved. The author was at the island on the day of the murder, and was a witness in the High Court trial that followed. Over the subsequent 57 years, he has repeatedly been asked to tell his story but the 117 years of diligent tending of the light by numerous lighthouse keepers and their families has been largely forgotten. In Life and Death on Little Ross, the author has redressed the balance by telling the story of the island, its lighthouse and its people who lived and worked there including extracts from a detailed diary that has survived from WWI. Also featured are the island's earliest inhabitants, the ships and their crews that came to grief, the case made by concerned local people for a lighthouse to be erected, the political wrangling that frustrated its approval for many years, the lighthouse design, and the eventual construction of the buildings. The story did not end with the murder. The process of automation began immediately after the event and the work of conversion, repair and maintenance, including first-hand accounts by some of the tradesmen is provided. The story of the restoration and conversion of the lighthouse keepers’ derelict cottages is one of courage, patience, stamina, skill and resourcefulness which should inspire all of the many people that love wild, beautiful and unspoiled places like Little Ross Island and care about the future of buildings of distinction.

---

Stewartry-museum Het prachtig ontworpen Stewartry Museum is speciaal gebouwd in 1893. De eerste collectie werd opgericht in 1879 en was gehuisvest in het stadhuis van Kirkcudbright. Er is een schat aan collecties van door de mens gemaakte gereedschappen, het lokale leven, spinnen, wapens, landbouw en geologie. Op de eerste verdieping kijkt een galerij rond de omtrek uit op de verdieping eronder, met geconserveerde vogels, eieren en insecten. Op de begane grond bevindt zich het voormalige optiek- en uurwerkmechanisme van Little Ross Lighthouse . In de optiek bevindt zich ook een acetyleenlampwisselaar. De Northern Lighthouse Board schonk de optiek in 2004 aan het Stewartry Museum na de conversie naar zonne-energie. Little Ross-optiek De voormalige Little Ross Lighthouse-optiek Het museum bezit een lokale geschiedenis- en archiefcollectie. Tot de collectie behoren petities voor de vuurtoren en andere documenten met betrekking tot de vuurtoren. Kirkcudbright is een mooie stad met een 16e-eeuws McLellan's Castle dat het stadscentrum domineert. Het heeft een levendige haven en winkels, brede straten en pittoreske huizen. De stad ligt in de beschutting van Kirkcudbright Bay. Stewartry-museum Het eiland Little Ross ligt net buiten Kirkcudbright Bay en is vanaf de kustlijn te zien. Het reddingsbootstation van Kirkcudbright ligt aan de oostkust bij Manxman's Lake, dat smokkelverbindingen heeft met het eiland Man. De toegang tot het museum is gratis.

---

SUNDAY POST Why did you decide to write this book? I hoped to find an antidote to the island’s rather dark reputation as the scene of a murder. So I began researching the history of the island to tell the story of the lighthouse keepers and their families, who had diligently attended to their duties there peaceably for 117 years. What do you remember most about that day? I was almost 20 at the time of the murder. The most vivid image that remains is the cosy interior of the empty principal keeper’s house, meticulously neat and tidy, with a budgie chirping in its cage. Finding the relief keeper Hugh Clark’s body in the next-door house was very sad and puzzling. I didn’t know at that time he had been murdered so it was not a horrific experience. Giving evidence at the subsequent trial was more traumatic. How do you feel about the sentencing of Robert Dickson? As an opponent of capital punishment, I could never consider the sentence to be fair. I believed Robert Dickson to be guilty of murder, while suffering from mental illness, and the case for his defence seemed to me to have been well made. To treat mental illness with a rope and a trapdoor does not seem to me to be a sign of a civilised society. Dickson was reprieved but took his own life in prison. What else can you tell us about the island? Little Ross is an island of 29 acres, situated in the mouth of Kirkcudbright Bay, with wonderful views out to the north Irish Sea and the Isle of Man. The buildings on the island include the lighthouse tower, two keeper’s cottages, barns, byres, a smithy, cart house, and pigsties. When was the lighthouse built? Construction of the only lighthouse on the island was completed in 1843 after a lengthy campaign conducted for 20 years by local people. It was preceded by stone beacons that were built by local enterprise in 1819. How many people have been based at Little Ross? Sixty-one principal and assistant keepers served at Little Ross, some of whom were accompanied by large families. The most people known to have lived on the island at any one time was 14 in 1861. What was life like for them? The keepers’ houses were plain but practical, and free coal supplies meant that life there was relatively comfortable. There was however much drudgery in carrying fuel, water, and supplies and in the incessant routine tasks that keepers had to undertake, such as winding the clockwork mechanism and polishing the lenses that directed the lighthouse’s beam. Did you come across anything surprising in your research? Lighthouse service seemed to run in families, and many keepers or their sons married the sisters, daughters or nieces of their colleagues. Their daughters were often wooed by members of the crew of the Northern Lighthouse Board’s supply ships, or by the island’s attendant boatmen. Who were the last lighthouse keepers on Little Ross? The last Principal Keeper at Little Ross was John Thomson, and the last assistant prior to Robert Dickson was Ian Summers. Automation took place in November 1960. The island was recently sold. What does the future hold for Little Ross? The island will hopefully remain as the focal point of our views towards the sea, and as a much loved picnic destination for future generations. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-40875034

---