1787 Alterations to Kinnaird Head lantern completed

Thomas Smith, an Edinburgh tinsmith had invented a series of parabolic reflectors and lamps that could be used from a fixed position. In 1786 the Trustees of the Northern Lighthouses decided to purchase Kinnaird Head castle from the Fraser family and erect their light there. Smith was appointed engineer to the Trustees after being sent to study under an English engineer, Ezekiel Walker. The lantern that he created on the top of the castle was composed of seventeen reflectors and was fixed inside a small tower. It was made in Edinburgh and shipped to Fraserburgh. The light was first illuminated for mariners on 1 December 1787.