A Treasure Map?…A Note Hidden for 132 Years in a British Lighthouse

About 200 years ago, a 'note' in a bottle was discovered inside an old lighthouse in Scotland, UK. The note, found during an inspection of the lighthouse structure, was determined to have been written an astonishing 132 years ago.

According to reports from foreign media including the UK's public broadcaster BBC and the US New York Times (NYT), the note was found on the 25th of last month (local time) inside the Corsewall Lighthouse in Scotland.

Corsewall Lighthouse was designed in 1817 by a British engineer named Robert Stevenson, who contributed to making the notoriously rough and dark Scottish coastline safe, thereby aiding the UK's development as a maritime nation.

Scotland's Corsewall Lighthouse. This building has made significant contributions to making the dangerous British coastline safe. Northern Lighthouse Board website

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Shining bright for over two centuries to guide ships and tourists, this lighthouse is currently managed by the UK's Northern Lighthouse Board. Ross Russell, an engineer affiliated with the board, recently discovered a glass bottle hidden inside the wall while inspecting the lighthouse structure for any issues. Inside the bottle was a note.

Russell's team used ropes and brooms to retrieve the bottle from the hidden passage. Afterward, they opened the bottle with the lighthouse keeper and took out the message. Analysis revealed that the note was written an incredible 132 years ago. Barry Miller, the lighthouse keeper, joked to the NYT, "If this note were a treasure map, we would all swear to keep our mouths shut forever."

A note hidden in the wall. Photo by CBS News YouTube capture

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The note turned out to be a list of engineers and lighthouse keepers who installed a new lighthouse lantern at the top in 1892. After reading the list, Miller said, "It was truly exciting. It felt like meeting colleagues from a century ago," adding, "It was as if they were part of our team. They shared everything they had done (inside the note)."

The memo stated, "This lantern was installed from May to September by James Wells, an engineer from James Milne & Son Engineers of the Edinburgh Milton Workshop, John Westwood Milrite, James Brodie, engineer, and worker David Scott, and was reactivated on the night of Thursday, September 15, 1892." It also detailed the lighthouse's caretakers and their assistants, as well as the suppliers of the lenses and mechanical devices that make up the lighthouse.

An illustration depicting the lantern apparatus at the top of a lighthouse. Robert Stevenson Archive

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Russell emphasized, "The engineers at the time wanted to let people know what they were doing," adding, "So they hid the bottle in the lighthouse and preserved it for a very long time." The note was resealed in the glass bottle and reportedly returned to its original place.

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