Kinnaird
Head -
as
Daniell saw it in the early 19th century
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Thomas Smith, according to the Baptismal Register
of Ferryport-on-Craig (a small coastal parish in north-east
Fife), was christened at Ferryport-on-Craig in December
1752, the son of Thomas Smith and Mary Kay. His father had
been drowned at sea when he was a child, and it was naturally
his mother's wish that young Thomas should not continue
in his father's footsteps by becoming a mariner. He therefore
started an apprenticeship as a metal worker with Cairns
of Dundee.
It was not long, however, before he moved south to further
his career in an Edinburgh full of opportunity. By
the 1780s he had begun taking an interest in reflectors
- at that time concerned mainly with street lighting. He
had worked on perfecting his own reflecting lamp,
and in 1786, when the Northern Lighthouse Board was set
up, he found himself not only Edinburgh's principal lighting
engineer, but also the first consultant for Scotland's newly
set-up Northern Lighthouse Board.
Thomas's career continued to prosper.In 1802 he became
Master of the city's ancient Incorporation of Hammermen,
founded in 1483. Its membership included eight categories
of metalworkers - goldsmiths, blacksmiths, tinsmiths, pewterers,
cutlers, bucklemakers, armourers and lorimers. At that time,
too, he became a city magistrate.
Thomas married three times. His third wife (whom he married
in 1792) was Jean Stevenson, Robert Stevenson's widowed
mother. By the time construction started on the Bell Rock
lighthouse, Thomas had been retired from active lighthouse
building some years. His apprentice and latterly partner,
Robert Stevenson, had already taken over the responsibilities
of lighthouse building. Thomas, however, continued to look
after the Edinburgh operations, with regards to the lightroom
and other fitments, for the Bell Rock works.
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Kinnaird (1787) |
|
Mull of Kintyre (1788) |
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North Ronaldsay (1789) |
|
Eilean Glas (Scalpay) (1789) |
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Pladda (1790) |
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Little Cumbrae (1793) |
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Pentland Skerries (1794) |
|
Cloch (1797) |
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Inchkeith (1804) |
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Start Point (1806) |
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