BEACON, a signal for the better securing the kingdom from foreign invasions. See SIGNAL.
On certain eminent places of the country are placed long poles erect, whereon are fastened pitch-barrels to be fired by night, and smoke made by day, to give notice in a few hours to the whole kingdom of an approaching invasion. These are commonly called beacons; whence also comes beaconage.—We find beacons familiarly in use among the primitive Britons and Western Highlanders. The besieged capital of one of our northern isles in the third century actually lighted up a fire upon a tower; and Fingal instantly knew "the green flame edged with smoke" to be a token of attack and distress*. And there are to this day several cairns or heaps of stones upon the heights along the coast of the Harries, on which the inhabitants used to burn heath as a signal of an approaching enemy.