The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1916-11-30
GU|DEDBY BEACONS
LIVES OF TRAVELLERS SAVED BY
LAND LIGHTHOUSES
Safety Signals OH DesoIate English
Waters Were Necessity in Times
Conc By--Many of Them Still
in Existence.

OF all the remarkable lighthouses in
existence, and Their, are many of them,
what is described IS the only land
lighthouse is the most extraordinary.
This is the lofty tower, 100 feet high.
on the lonely levels of Lincoln Heath,
five miles from Lincoln, in the parish
of DunSton. 1t is known rs Funston
Pillar says writer in London An
SWrrS.
When the strange building first came
into being in 175l Lincoln heath was
easily the most dangerous waste place
in England. About twenty miles
square, it had then no made roads, no
signposts and no inclosing hedges.
Travellers found it risky place to
venture in, especially in the short doI
of winter.
The registers 81 Leasingham church,
on the outskirts OF the vast solitude,
contain accounts of the burials of
many unfortunate travellers who lost
their way here and persisted in snow
storms ana tcmpcStS.
So notorious were those dangers
that Mt Potter lIanworth and ut Blank
ncy, in this region, there are pieces of
land bCquUathed as thank-OlferingS by
Straycd waytarerS whose lives had
been saved by hearing the church
bells chimes, So that their steps were
guided 10 shelter. The revenues from
these lands were intended to secure
the continuance of those nightly ring
ings. 50 that no others should run
such risks.
1t was Francis Eastwood, Lord le
Dispenser, who built Funston Pillar.
II served as Il Signpost by day and
as Il beacon by night, being at that
time surmouuted 10y lantern, which
was brilliantly Illuminated.
But. after some fifty-nue years, a
good road was at last made across
these wilds ana the lantern was no
longer considered necessary. So in
place of il colossal stone statue of
George III. was placed there in 1910,
the year of his jubilee. And there ii
stands today.
Besides Funston Pillar there are
many more heacOnS that We're intend
ed TO keep the old-time travellers in
the right path We have one in the
ncighbOrhood Of London. This Is the
old iron fircpot, or crcsSet, on the
angle turrot of Monkcu Hadley church,
near Barnet, placed there originally
hundreds of years ago FOR the express
purpose of guiding travellers who
might be coming after nghtfall
through the lonely and deeply wooded
districts of Enfield Chase. The iron
pot has, of course, been often re-
noWcd
\ similar fircput stands on the tow
or Of Dillingham; church, near Chat
ham, overlooking the River Midway.
A much more elaborate affair, which
was us much "land lighthouse" as
punSton Pillar, is the lantern which
SDill stands on the tower of Great Wei
don church, in the Rockingham Forest
district of NorthamptonShire. 1t was
lighted every night for the express
purpose Of guiding hcnighted travellers
to safety through the cntangled forest
brakes.
Og course, many of our lighthouses
serving our mariners along our coasts
are actually built on land, notably the
famous North Forcand and the Lizard
lights.
Among the most curious of these is
DungcncSS lighthouse, standing on the
dcSoate wastes of Shingle on the
Kcntsh coast
II was about 1913 when the first
lighthouse was built there by pri-
waite Spectator, who disposed of his
interest to one William Lamplough,
clerk to the kings kitchen,