Flannan Isles, 1900: The Lighthouse Was Ready. The Keepers Were Gone
The Last Light
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On 15 December 1900, three keepers disappeared from the Flannan Isles Lighthouse. The inquiry concluded a large wave most likely swept them away.
On 15 December 1900, three keepers disappeared from the Flannan Isles Lighthouse on Eilean Mòr, about 20 miles west of Lewis. On a routine relief visit on 26 December, the tender Hesperus found the station empty, the lamp cleaned and ready to light. The Northern Lighthouse Board's superintendent, Robert Muirhead, concluded that a large wave most likely swept the men from the west landing. No bodies were found. The record does not explain every detail of their last hours.
CHAPTERS
0:00 The Hesperus reaches Eilean Mòr
1:31 The keepers and the island
2:34 The last entries on the slate
3:10 The west landing
4:50 The clothing evidence
5:49 Muirhead's report
6:35 The lighthouse today
THE THREE LOST
James Ducat (Principal Keeper), Thomas Marshall (Second Assistant Keeper), Donald McArthur (Occasional Keeper)
ALSO NAMED IN THE RECORD
Joseph Moore (Assistant Lightkeeper), Robert Muirhead (Superintendent), Captain Harvie (Master of the Hesperus), Allan MacDonald (Buoymaster), Mr McCormack (Second Mate), seamen A Lamont and A Campbell (volunteers from the Hesperus crew)
SOURCES
Primary records
Northern Lighthouse Board, Flannan Isles (telegram, Moore's letter, Muirhead's report) - https://www.nlb.org.uk/history/flanna...
National Records of Scotland, The mystery of the Flannan Islands Lighthouse - https://nrscotland.gov.uk/learning-an...
National Records of Scotland, Flannan Isles Lighthouse Keepers: The disappearance - https://blog.nrscotland.gov.uk/2023/1...
Further reading
Mike Dash, True Strange Stories?, Fortean Times 352 (2017) - https://www.academia.edu/34329912/Fak...
Every claim in this episode is drawn from documented sources. Interpretation and gaps in the record are stated as such.
The Last Light tells the true stories of people whose jobs required them to stay in places where staying could kill them: lighthouses, lightvessels and remote coastal stations. Every episode is based on documented evidence and narrated plainly. Subscribe for the next episode.
#TheLastLight #FlannanIsles #LighthouseHistory
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Flannan Isles, 1900: The Lighthouse Was Ready. The Keepers Were Gone
The Last Light
52 views
On 15 December 1900, three keepers disappeared from the Flannan Isles Lighthouse. The inquiry concluded a large wave most likely swept them away.
On 15 December 1900, three keepers disappeared from the Flannan Isles Lighthouse on Eilean Mòr, about 20 miles west of Lewis. On a routine relief visit on 26 December, the tender Hesperus found the station empty, the lamp cleaned and ready to light. The Northern Lighthouse Board's superintendent, Robert Muirhead, concluded that a large wave most likely swept the men from the west landing. No bodies were found. The record does not explain every detail of their last hours.
CHAPTERS
0:00 The Hesperus reaches Eilean Mòr
1:31 The keepers and the island
2:34 The last entries on the slate
3:10 The west landing
4:50 The clothing evidence
5:49 Muirhead's report
6:35 The lighthouse today
THE THREE LOST
James Ducat (Principal Keeper), Thomas Marshall (Second Assistant Keeper), Donald McArthur (Occasional Keeper)
ALSO NAMED IN THE RECORD
Joseph Moore (Assistant Lightkeeper), Robert Muirhead (Superintendent), Captain Harvie (Master of the Hesperus), Allan MacDonald (Buoymaster), Mr McCormack (Second Mate), seamen A Lamont and A Campbell (volunteers from the Hesperus crew)
SOURCES
Primary records
Northern Lighthouse Board, Flannan Isles (telegram, Moore's letter, Muirhead's report) - https://www.nlb.org.uk/history/flanna...
National Records of Scotland, The mystery of the Flannan Islands Lighthouse - https://nrscotland.gov.uk/learning-an...
National Records of Scotland, Flannan Isles Lighthouse Keepers: The disappearance - https://blog.nrscotland.gov.uk/2023/1...
Further reading
Mike Dash, True Strange Stories?, Fortean Times 352 (2017) - https://www.academia.edu/34329912/Fak...
Every claim in this episode is drawn from documented sources. Interpretation and gaps in the record are stated as such.
The Last Light tells the true stories of people whose jobs required them to stay in places where staying could kill them: lighthouses, lightvessels and remote coastal stations. Every episode is based on documented evidence and narrated plainly. Subscribe for the next episode.
#TheLastLight #FlannanIsles #LighthouseHistory