Henry Hall (lighthouse keeper)
Encyclopedia
Henry Hall was a British lighthouse keeper
who worked on the Eddystone Lighthouse
, some 9 statute miles (14 kilometres) southwest of Rame Head
, in the English county of Cornwall
.
.
He is remembered for his actions in 1755 following a fire at the Eddystone Lighthouse on 3 December 1755, when the wooden Rudyerd's Tower of 1706 burned down. Hall had discovered that a spark from the lamp had set the roof alight. He and his two companions were unable to put the fire out, and they were forced to retreat down the tower until eventually the lighthouse burned down to the rocks. They were rescued the next day in spite of a storm that required them to be pulled off and through the raging waters by rope. He was said in a report sent on 19 December 1755 to the Royal Society
in London by Dr. Edward Spry (a surgeon at Plymouth), to be "aged 94 years, of good constitution, and extremely active for one of that age".
, having shown some signs of apparent recovery before, "being seized with cold sweats and spasms of the tendons, he soon expired" (Dr. Spry). The lighthouse was rebuilt in the following four years as the famous Smeaton's Tower
which was subsequently removed (except for the base), stone by stone, to Plymouth Hoe
in 1882 as it was found that the rocks beneath the tower were cracking and in danger of collapse.
Dr. Spry conducted an autopsy after Hall claimed before his death "with a hoarse voice, scarce to be heard, that melted lead had run down his throat into his body" (Dr. Spry). This apparently had occurred when Hall looked up from below at the fire at the top of the tower just as some of the melted lead from the light horn (reflector) ran off dropping onto the "left side of his body, below the short ribs, in the breast, mouth and throat ... left side of the head and face, with the eye extremely burnt" (Dr. Spry). The autopsy revealed that "the diaphragmatic upper mouth of the stomach greatly inflamed and ulcerated, and the tuncia in the lower part of the stomach burnt; and from the great cavity of it took out a great piece of lead ... which weighed exactly seven ounces, five drachams and eighteen grains" (Dr. Spry). This piece of lead now resides in the National Museum of Scotland
.
Dr. Spry gave the following written account of how Hall and his two colleagues had explained to him how the lead came to be in Hall's stomach: "It will perhaps be thought difficult to explain the manner, by which the lead entered the stomach: But the account, which the deceased gave me and others, was, that as he was endeavouring to extinguish the flames, which were at a considerable height over his head, the lead of the lanthorn being melted dropped down, before he was aware of it, with great force into his mouth then lifted up and open, and in such a quantity, as to cover not only his face, but all his clothes."
Dr. Spry's account was received with such skepticism by The Royal Society that he felt constrained to conduct experiments on dogs and chickens, pouring melted lead down the animals' throats, to prove that it was possible to survive, for at least a limited period, such an extreme accident. These are the first fully documented and reported British scientific experiments on live animals.
, Millbay Road.
Lighthouse keeper
A lighthouse keeper is the person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Keepers were needed to trim the wicks, replenish fuel, wind clockworks and perform maintenance tasks such as cleaning...
who worked on the Eddystone Lighthouse
Eddystone Lighthouse
Eddystone Lighthouse is on the treacherous Eddystone Rocks, south west of Rame Head, United Kingdom. While Rame Head is in Cornwall, the rocks are in Devon and composed of Precambrian Gneiss....
, some 9 statute miles (14 kilometres) southwest of Rame Head
Rame Head
Rame Head is a coastal headland, southwest of the village of Rame in southeast Cornwall, United Kingdom.-History and antiquities:The site was used for a hill fort in the Iron Age. The headland has a prominent chapel, dedicated to St Michael, accessible by a steep footpath...
, in the English county of Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
.
Biography
Henry Hall is the oldest-known member of the Hall Family of Lighthouse Keepers that kept lights around the English and Welsh coasts from at least the mid-eighteenth century until 1913 (Robert James Hall at Spurn Head, Yorkshire). The Hall family inter-married with the Knott family (lighthouse keepers) 1730-1910 and also the Darling family which includes the famous Grace DarlingGrace Darling
Grace Horsley Darling was an English Victorian heroine who in 1838, along with her father, saved 13 people from the wreck of the SS Forfarshire.-Biography:...
.
He is remembered for his actions in 1755 following a fire at the Eddystone Lighthouse on 3 December 1755, when the wooden Rudyerd's Tower of 1706 burned down. Hall had discovered that a spark from the lamp had set the roof alight. He and his two companions were unable to put the fire out, and they were forced to retreat down the tower until eventually the lighthouse burned down to the rocks. They were rescued the next day in spite of a storm that required them to be pulled off and through the raging waters by rope. He was said in a report sent on 19 December 1755 to the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in London by Dr. Edward Spry (a surgeon at Plymouth), to be "aged 94 years, of good constitution, and extremely active for one of that age".
Death
Hall subsequently died on Monday, 8 December 1755, aged 94, at his home in East Stonehouse, PlymouthPlymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, having shown some signs of apparent recovery before, "being seized with cold sweats and spasms of the tendons, he soon expired" (Dr. Spry). The lighthouse was rebuilt in the following four years as the famous Smeaton's Tower
Smeaton's Tower
Smeaton's Tower is the third and most notable Eddystone Lighthouse. It marked a major step forward in the design of lighthouses. In use until 1877, it was largely dismantled and rebuilt on Plymouth Hoe in the city of Plymouth, Devon where it now stands as a memorial to its designer, John Smeaton,...
which was subsequently removed (except for the base), stone by stone, to Plymouth Hoe
Plymouth Hoe
Plymouth Hoe, referred to locally as the Hoe, is a large south facing open public space in the English coastal city of Plymouth. The Hoe is adjacent to and above the low limestone cliffs that form the seafront and it commands views of Plymouth Sound, Drake's Island, and across the Hamoaze to Mount...
in 1882 as it was found that the rocks beneath the tower were cracking and in danger of collapse.
Dr. Spry conducted an autopsy after Hall claimed before his death "with a hoarse voice, scarce to be heard, that melted lead had run down his throat into his body" (Dr. Spry). This apparently had occurred when Hall looked up from below at the fire at the top of the tower just as some of the melted lead from the light horn (reflector) ran off dropping onto the "left side of his body, below the short ribs, in the breast, mouth and throat ... left side of the head and face, with the eye extremely burnt" (Dr. Spry). The autopsy revealed that "the diaphragmatic upper mouth of the stomach greatly inflamed and ulcerated, and the tuncia in the lower part of the stomach burnt; and from the great cavity of it took out a great piece of lead ... which weighed exactly seven ounces, five drachams and eighteen grains" (Dr. Spry). This piece of lead now resides in the National Museum of Scotland
National Museum of Scotland
The National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland, was formed in 2006 with the merger of the Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture and history, and the Royal Museum next door, with collections covering science and technology, natural history, and world...
.
Dr. Spry gave the following written account of how Hall and his two colleagues had explained to him how the lead came to be in Hall's stomach: "It will perhaps be thought difficult to explain the manner, by which the lead entered the stomach: But the account, which the deceased gave me and others, was, that as he was endeavouring to extinguish the flames, which were at a considerable height over his head, the lead of the lanthorn being melted dropped down, before he was aware of it, with great force into his mouth then lifted up and open, and in such a quantity, as to cover not only his face, but all his clothes."
Dr. Spry's account was received with such skepticism by The Royal Society that he felt constrained to conduct experiments on dogs and chickens, pouring melted lead down the animals' throats, to prove that it was possible to survive, for at least a limited period, such an extreme accident. These are the first fully documented and reported British scientific experiments on live animals.
Legacy
There is a small plaque dedicated to Henry Hall with a few details as to the nature of this death located in Plymouth city center, set into the pavement between Plymouth Pavilions, the Sippers pub and The Duke of Cornwall HotelDuke of Cornwall Hotel
The Duke of Cornwall Hotel is a hotel in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. Built in Victorian Gothic style, it opened in 1865 to cater for the increasing number of travellers who were coming to the region by rail and sea....
, Millbay Road.