Henry Hall

Henry Hall (1661 – 8 December 1755) was a British lighthouse keeper who worked on the Eddystone Lighthouse, in the English county of Devon, some 9 statute miles (14 kilometres) southwest of Rame Head, Cornwall, UK. Background Born in 1661, 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. The Hall family intermarried with two lighthouse keeping families: the Knotts and the Darling family. One of the better known members of Darling family was Grace Darling, who participated in the rescue of survivors of the Forfarshire. Eddystone Lighthouse fire Hall is remembered for his actions following a fire at the Eddystone Lighthouse on 2 December 1755, when the wooden Rudyerd's Tower of 1706 burned down. At around 2 a.m., Hall was on duty alone when he discovered that a spark from the lamp had set the roof alight. He attempted to put the fire out by throwing buckets of water "four yards higher than his head". Hall was soon joined by the other two lighthouse keepers who also tried to extinguish the fire. Hall looked up to check his progress and was showered with falling molten lead from the lighthouse roof. The lead fell upon his body burning his head, face, neck and shoulders. As his mouth was open, molten lead fell down his throat. Hall later recalled that he felt the hot lead go down his throat and screamed, "My God, I'm on fire inside!" Hall continued to help his fellow lighthouse keepers but the three were unable to put the fire out. The men were forced to retreat down the tower and eventually made their way to a cave to avoid the falling red hot debris. The lighthouse continued to burn into the morning and would continue to burn for the next five days. At around 10 a.m., the three men were spotted by a passing boat. Due to rough surf, the sailors were unable to dock near the cave. The sailors threw a rope to Hall and his companions who tied them around their waists and were pulled through the water to the boat. They were taken to East Stonehouse, Plymouth where Hall was treated by Dr. Henry Spry (a surgeon at Plymouth) who tended to the man's burns and other injuries. Hall spoke to Dr. Spry "with a hoarse voice, scarce to be heard, that melted lead had run down his throat into his body" and was experiencing severe internal pain. Dr.