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Charlie Cottle at Mumbles Lighthouse after an electricity supply was installed
Charlie Cottle - The Last Mumbles Lighthouse Keeper
Charlie Cottle - The Last Mumbles Lighthouse Keeper
WHEN Charlie Cottle, the last keeper of the Mumbles lighthouse, finished in 1934 at the age of 61, the event was considered important enough for the popular national daily, the Sketch, to devote nearly two pages to the story and pictures.
With the Headline-
Veteran's 22 years in The Lighthouse - Who Waded To Work
Veteran's 22 years in The Lighthouse - Who Waded To Work
Charlie, it said, had one of the most remarkable jobs in Britain, and the light house was unique. It was the only one in Britain owned by a railway company, the Great Western.
Today the lighthouse is automatic, owned by Trinity House and completely taken for granted as the sentinel which warns sailors of the hidden perils of the dangerous Mixon Sands and Cherry Stone Rock. But when Charlie became keeper in 1912, he inherited a historic post and an uncertain lifestyle.
"He lived on the mainland and waded or rowed across to the light at low tide," says his nephew, Tony Cottle. "But if the weather turned bad, he'd be marooned for days, sometimes a week at a time."
Stranded but secure in his island fort, Charlie would read his favourite book, Westward Ho! and rely on the company of his pet cat. He had a mate, a Mr J Hunt, but Mackie the cat was known to be almost as much of a character as his master.
"Mackie got his name because he used to swim for fish, particularly mackerel," says Tony. The coastguard service as we know it did not exist in those days, so Charlie also acted as lookout.
"I'm sure he must have helped to save many lives," says Tony, who took over the family printing business. "And there was one famous occasion when a ship going out between the island and the outer sound became stuck. There was a fear of the ship breaking up, so the 600 men on board were evacuated on to the island."
Six hundred must have been a squeeze of penguin proportions, but the island buildings could accommodate 20 people and the number was swelled on summer days by picnic parties.
Generally, however, the weather was a I constant hazard. Sometimes it brought welcome visitors. "Uncle saw someone clapping on the rocks," says Tony. "When he went down, he found a seal!"
Sometimes it brought real fear. "Uncle always told us how, when Swansea suffered an earthquake in 1906, a giant wave swept completely over the lighthouse
But there were benefits, too. "Charlie enjoyed seeing the fog come up," says Tony. "He would get extra money for pulling the foghorn. Every time he pulled it, he'd say: Shoes for the children.'
The lighthouse-keeper. Charlie Cottle, who is 61 and has spent over 22 years at the work, walking up the rocky path to go on duty.
There were benefits, too. "Charlie enjoyed seeing the fog come up," says Tony. "He would get extra money for pulling the foghorn. Every time he pulled it, he'd say: Shoes for the children
Tending the Foghorn.
And he'd watch ships coming up off Lundy Island. When he saw them, he'd telegraph the local shipping firms to get ready. They always remembered him at Christmas time.
Charlie figured in a dramatic court case. "One night he could see there was something wrong with the light." says Tony. "He climbed up and found a man fiddling with it. He dragged the man down, but as result, he was charged with assault and battery. The magistrates in Swansea wouldn't deal with the case, so it was heard in Port Talbot. Uncle was found guilty, though I believe the magistrates let him off lightly, but there was great indignation because he'd only tried to protect the light.
Charlie also unknowingly starred in a family drama. "He was on duty one Christmas and his wife Annie told their son to take a Christmas dinner out to Unfortunately, Richard called into a few pubs on the way and when he got to pier, the dinner fell into the sand."
Tony remembers. "Richard made sure his father wasn't watching, scraped the sand off as best he could, and took the dinner over. Then he had to sit and watch his father eat this meal, hearing the sand grating on Charlie's teeth. Charlie didn't seem to notice. All he said was: 'Annie knows I'm partial to a bit of salt!""
The first Mumbles lighthouse started operating in May, 1794. The second keeper, John Walker, was sacked for deserting during three stormy nights. But the Ace family created a tradition. Grandfather, father and son, each named Abraham, kept the light house for 75 years. Charlie Cottle, the last keeper, left in 1934 when electricity provided automatic power.
And he'd watch ships coming up off Landy When he saw them, he'd telegraph the local shipping firms to get ready. They always remembered him at Christmas time.
He had a mate, a Mr J Hunt, but Mackie the cat was known to be almost as much of a character as his master.
"Mackie got his name because he used to swim for fish, particularly mackerel," says Tony. The coastguard service as we know it did not exist in those days, so Charlie also acted as lookout.
The final keeper was Charlie Cottle, who with his mate, Joseph Hunt and Charlie’s black cat, Mackie looked after the light, their journey to work from the shore, sometimes involving wading through water at low tide, followed by a scramble over the rocks. If the weather was bad, they could be marooned there for a week! Apart from tending the light and seeing to the foghorn in thick weather, they had to look after the power supply, keep the small motor in order which powered the foghorn, make sure the stores were in order and keep a note of every ship which passed up and down the channel. Charlie’s twenty-two year stay came to an end in May 1936.
When the Keepers were not required to live on the island, they lived on the mainland and their island accommodation together with a small chapel gradually fell into disrepair. These were demolished in the 1960s.
On New Year’s Day 1905, a new occulting mechanism was introduced, where the light was made to flash and it was this which was partially automated in 1934. From 1908, a newly installed mechanical fog horn became known as ‘Jasper’s Baby.’
These ‘Keepers of the Light’ had warned sailors of the perils of the Cherrystone Rock and the Mixon Shoals for over 140 years, but now their jobs had become redundant, as much-improved equipment obviated the need for keepers. Henceforth, the lighthouse would be powered automatically, become electrically powered in 1969, converting to solar power in 1995—but ‘Jasper’s Baby’ continues to cry out in foggy weather!
UNIQUE FUNERAL
Man who was Born and Died in Lighthouse
The funeral of Mr. Thomas Thomas, the old Mumbles lighthouse keeper, which took place on Monday, as 10 ported in our issues yesterday, was un usual in many respects, and unique in some.
The old gentleman was 83 years of age, and he had died in the very room in the lighthouse in which he was born. His father had been the one who first lit up the oil lamp in the lighthouse.. so Mr. Thomas' daughter says.
'Owing to the low ebb tide, the coffin was carried by bearers from the light house to the shore. The service at the Cemetery was conducted by the Rev. Latimer Davies, curate.'
Acknowledgments
Daily Sketch
Powell, Carol, Once upon a Village, Swansea, 1996
Powell, Carol, Days before Yesterday, Swansea, 2000
‘Veteran’s twenty-two years in Lighthouse’, Mumbles News, January 1981
Illustrations
Daily Sketch
The Mumbles Lighthouse, from Stuart Bishop.
The story and poem of The women of Mumbles Head
... The two women involved, Jessie Ace and Margaret Wright, were the daughters of the lighthouse keeper, Abraham Ace. They, with the help of Gunner Hutchings from the lighthouse fort, rescued ...
More: Lighthouse & Fort >
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