Geoscience Reference
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pen, but the earlier NLB registers of lighthouse keepers show a number of dismissals
for assault including one on a PLK's wife.
OneoftheearliestaccountsofasupposedmurdertookplaceonScotland'sfirstlight-
house on the Isle of May when the first lightkeeper there drowned and Effie Lang of
Anstruther was burned as a witch for the 'crime'.
6
That one lightkeeper might turn on a fellow keeper in a murderous rage is certainly
within the bounds of possibility and there are examples around the world including one
within the NLB's own domain.
College ofArt, left the slipway ofthe Kirkcudbright Sailing Club in a 13ft dinghy,with
his father, to visit Little Ross Island. They reached the island, with its lighthouse, just
before lunchtime and left their dinghy at the east quay. After they arrived they walked
overtothewestquay,whichhadanoldshelterthatwasusedasagaragefortheisland's
motor van. The two of them had their lunch there and once finished they decided that,
as a matter of courtesy, they should pay a visit to the Ross Island Lighthouse and at
least let the lightkeepers know they were on the island. The lighthouse station on Little
Ross had two keepers cottages and David Collin and his father knocked on the doors
of both of them but received no response. The only sign of life was a friendly dog,
which followed them around, and Collin would mention years later that something did
not seem to be right about the scene when they arrived on it. Initially, he and his father
were worried that they were disturbing the lightkeepers off-duty, as there appeared to
be no sign of life at the place. The only sound they heard was the sound of a ringing
telephone. He then heard another noise coming from a box. He lifted the box to find a
rabbit, suffering from the heat of being trapped in the box, and sensing its freedom it
hopped away. It must have seemed like an ill omen, and as time wore on the two men
became puzzled by the total lack of any activity or signs of life. Collin's father decided
to take the plunge and go into one of the cottages. In his account of the incident, Col-
lin mentioned his embarrassment at his father's well-intentioned foray onto the private
property of the lightkeepers. The first cottage that the senior Mr Collin went into was
the PLK's cottage. There seemed to be nothing untoward inside, so he came out and
went into the other cottage, which belonged to the ALK. Mr Collin senior immediately
cameoutoftheALK'scottageandshoutedtohissontogoandgethelpashehadfound
a man in bed who was either very ill or possibly dead.
David Collin ran back to the east quay where they had left their boat and shouted to
people he knew who were in a boat out on the water. David Collin and one of the two
from the boat returned to the ALK's cottage and went in. Mr Collin senior guided the
two men to a small bedroom on the west side of the cottage where a man lay in a bed
withhisheadwrappedinatowelandhisfeetandlegsprotruding.Therewasbloodnear
