Ballysimon Mills

A watermill mill is depicted on the 17th-century Down Survey parish map of Kilmurry (NLI, Ms 718) in this vicinity but an archaeological excavation by Tracy Collins (98E0607) revealed that the 'Ballysimon Mills' depicted on the OS map is 19th-century in date with no evidence of the medieval mill. The excavation results were summarised as following; 'This site is marked as a mill on the 17th-century Down Survey Map of the area. There is a small building c. 5m x 7m) at this location, of undressed limestone of roughly coursed rubble construction. The building was investigated to see whether this was the 17th-century structure or there had been an earlier building at this site. Owing to the recent usage of the site as a creamery and later a farmyard the only available position for a trench was in the interior of the extant structure. Because of the unstable condition of much of the remains, a trench, 1.5m x 3.5m, was hand-excavated in the south-east corner of the building. The mill had been filled with a large amount of modern debris, such as household refuse and loose masonry (no architectural features were noted). The original floor surface was of rough cobbles and a reused limestone flag. The floor was set in a bed of gritty, white mortar with a brick, stone and mortar mix below as a foundation. The walls of the structure rested on the underlying red boulder clay material, with the east wall being partially strengthened by the addition of a plinth, 0.1m wide, along its base. This strengthening, it is assumed, would have made the wall more secure, as it was the wall that would have held the original overshot wheel. It would also have guarded against the wall being undermined by the lapping of the mill-race water. The investigation did not reveal any artefacts of archaeological significance and proved that an earlier building did not exist on the site of the extant mill structure'(www.excavations.ie). See attached 1657 Down Survey barony map of Kilmurry parish (NLI, MS 718) showing Ballysimon Castle (LI005-057----) and two watermills (LI005-041-/042-).