In the early 1700s, roughly beneath where Belle Tout lighthouse is now, there was a cave known as Parson Darby’s Hole. Long before the lighthouse was built, shipwrecks were a common occurrence along this stretch of coastline. The bodies of sailors would be washed ashore and the bounty from the ships stolen by local villagers. Some, known as ‘wreckers’, would deliberately lure boats onto the rocks by tying lanterns to donkeys on the top of the cliffs, so passing ships would mistake the moving lights for other vessels and assume there was a safe passage. The rector of East Dean, Jonathan Darby, had to deal with the human consequences of the wrecks, whether caused by man or nature, burying the bloated bodies of drowned seamen in his churchyard. Fixated on preventing further deaths, he enlarged an old smugglers cave at the foot of the cliffs and equipped it with a static lantern – creating the first ever Seven Sisters lighthouse. He made it into a small home, adding a carpet and chairs. A shaft was also built connecting the cave to the clifftop, with a rope providing access.