Lightkeepers were divided into two grades – Principal Lightkeeper and Assistant Lightkeeper. Their primary duties were to keep the light and fog signal in perfect working order. At night Keepers took turns to keep watch in the lightroom to make sure the light was working properly. The hours for this varied depending on the type of station. During the daytime all Keepers were engaged in cleaning, painting and generally keeping the premises clean and tidy. At Rock Stations such as the Bell Rock or Skerryvore, there were six Lightkeepers (three on the Rock and three having a spell ashore) and four at Mainland Fog Signal Stations.
On 31 March 1998, over 211 years of Lightkeeping tradition came to an end in Scotland, when Fair Isle South became Scotland’s last manned lighthouse.