Neist Point

The Northern Lighthouse Board - Keepers

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Update: 01-03-2025
Compiled by:
@ Bob Schrage

Keepers of the Northern Lighthouse Board

Scotland in the world
Keeper Cap badge (PLK)
Scotland in the world
Keeper Cap badge (ALK)
Lightkeepers were divided into different grades. Their primary duties were to keep the light and fog signal in perfect working order. At night Keepers took turns to keep watch in the lightroom to make sure the light was working properly. The hours for this varied depending on the type of station.
During the daytime all Keepers were engaged in cleaning, painting and generally keeping the premises clean and tidy. At Rock Stations such as the Bell Rock or Skerryvore, there were six Lightkeepers (three on the Rock and three having a spell ashore) and four at Mainland Fog Signal Stations.

Lighthouse Keeping

In addition to officers at the NLB's headquarters in Edinburgh, the NLB had specific executive functions at the lighthouses themselves, the so-called Lighthouse Keepers.
Scotland in the world
Keeper (and wife) of Holborn Head Lighthouse
Before automation in the 1990s, these lighthouse keepers ensured the correct functioning of the lighthouse. Depending on the type of lighthouse, it had different functions.

PLK - Principal Light Keeper

Head keeper responsible for the overall running of the station.Usually transferred between stations every three to five years

ALK - Assistant Light Keeper

Once appointed ALK's start at the bottom of the seniority list,gradually work their way up as keepers get promoted to PLK,die or resign. Promotion to PLK strictly by seniority. Seniority also counts as to who is in charge any time PLK is absent.(receives In-charge allowance). Usually transferred between stations every three to five years.

LALK - Local Assistant Lightkeeper

Normally appointed to one station,resides locally and commutes to work. Not on seniority list

SLK - Supernumerary Lightkeeper

Trainee Keeper.

OK - Occasional Lightkeeper

Part Time Keeper, normally appointed to one station, allows coverage of keepers days off, holidays and sickness,etc.

Attendant

Part Time Keeper, usually visits an unmanned station fortnightly or monthly to check and clean. Primary role to be ON call. First one called out if anything reported amiss with the light.

On 31 March 1998, over 211 years of Lightkeeping tradition came to an end in Scotland, when Fair Isle South became Scotland’s last manned lighthouse. Now automation has been completed, all that remaining functions are Attendants.

From around 2003, after the small lighthouses were converted to solar energy and controlled from Edinburgh, the Attandants became redundant.
Keepers'of the Bell Rock
Keepers' of the Bell Rock

RLK - Retained Lighthouse Keeper

A new function/appointment started in 2003. A part-time employee to be responsible for a group of primarily major lighthouses. This function supercedes Attendant Keeper. Primary duties-On call plus Keyholder and Caretaker for there Lighthouses.

Life of a Keeper

If the lighthouse was not situated near a town of village, the life of a Lightkeeper was lonely. Especially at Rock- and Relieving stations, the Keepers were very isolated. At these stations they were on duty for a period of four weeks on followed by four weeks of. The families lived in shore station houses which were provided for them by the NLB.

At Shore Lighthouses, the wives and there families of career Lightkeepers lived with them, in close proximity of the lighthouse.

Not everyone was suitable to be a Lightkeeper. The good Lightkeeper had the temperament that was so necessary for this job, which consisted of living by the sea, a lot of loneliness and an isolated existence. A Lightkeeper did not make a fortune but the odds was he would be at peace with himself and with the world.

To find out more about the life of a Lighthouse Keeper, I would like to refer to the website Lightkeepers Journey of Fred Fox, former Lighthousekeeper at the NLB.

On the page Keepers application you will find the application/procedure as it was applied in 1972. Page Keepers working day you will provides insight into what an average working day for a lighthouse keeper looked like.

Lighthouse Types of the NLB

The Northern Lighthouse Board has divided the lighthouse for which they are responsible into different categories. Each category has its specific occupation of Lighthouse Keepers. Below is a small overview of the types of lighthouses.
Keepers' of the Bell Rock in the early 1900'

Rock Lighthouses

Personnel for this type of lighthouse stayed at the lighthouse for a month, followed by fourteen days off on shore. People often stayed at the same lighthouse for three to five years. Accommodation was offered for families at a "Coastal Station".

Some of the coastal stations were in towns, for example Oban which had quite a large lighthouse community. But some, such as the Muckle Flugga shore station at Burrafirt on the island Unst, Shetland, were quite isolated.

Shore Lighthouses

Keepers and theirs families were stationed, from three to five years on the same station. Shore lighthouses can be divided by:

> One Man station

One Keeper and his family, usually one of the senior Principal Lightkeepers(PLK). The light had usually been converted to electric operation. The keeper switched on at night and out in the morning and if anything went wrong an alarm would sound in his quarters.

> Two Man station

Where there was just the light. Two keepers a PLK and an Assistant Lightkeeper(ALK). Once the light was on the watches were divided between them until the light was extinguished in the morning. Made good use of Occasional Keepers especially in the winter months.

> Fog Signal station

At this type of station the crew consisted of one PLK and two ALKs. Being a fog signal station meant that there was a 24 hour watch regime, meaning there was always someone on watch.

Island stations

Could be any of the above,where only the keepers and families were on the island. Most of these were changed to Rock stations in the 1960's.

Relieving stations

In the mid-1970's a few of the more isolated shore stations eg. Neist Point(Skye) and Cape Wrath lighthouse, were in effect, turned into Rock stations, with the keepers doing month on-month off and families living elsewhere.

There was a major revolution in the early 1970s when the working hours of lighthouse keepers were equated with a "forty-hour working week".

Rock's lighthouses gradually transitioned to month-to-month out-of-service operation.
Originally the crew was: 1-PLK, 3-ALK, 1-OK.

Due to the change to the forty-hour working week, this became: 2-PLK, 3-ALK, 1-LALK or 2-PLK, 2-ALK, 2-LALK.

Fog signal stations had an additional ALK, before accommodation for these keepers was provided at the station and to prevent the construction of new accommodation at the stations, the additional ALK, "local" light keeper (LALK), lived locally where possible in his own house.
References:
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