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Here's some historical positional info for  Small's/Smalls Rock lighthouse:
I checked Bowditch 1826, 1842, 1849 and the  position listed in these
editions is
51d 45'N 5d 36'W. That's very likely  the position known to Sumner.

In the 1868 edition the position is about  three miles away:
51d 43'N 5d 40'W.
In the 1883 edition, which is when the  US Navy took over and substantially
re-wrote the book, the position is the same  but more precise:
51d 43' 14"N 5d 40' 9"W.
BTW, in all of these it's  listed as "Small's" (possessive).

In the 1918 edition of Bowditch, the  position for "Smalls Rocks: lighthouse"
(no longer possessive) is listed  as
51d 43' 15"N 5d 40' 15"W.

According to various web sites, the first  Smalls Rocks light was built in
1773 and stood until 1858. It consisted of an  octagonal cabin standing on nine
massive oak posts. A new lighthouse was built  from 1859-1861. It still stands
(apparently), and it is a circular stone tower  with a flared base. There's a
photo of it here:
http://jharadie.tripod.com/lights/lighthouse2/smalls_light.jpg with its former 
 paint scheme. Here's a fairly detailed history of the
lighthouses:
http://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/interactive/gallery/smalls.html

Are  there enough rocks out there to build the later lighthouse a few miles
away?

-FER
42.0N 87.7W, or 41.4N  72.1W.
www.HistoricalAtlas.com/lunars

   

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