Water mill — horizontal-wheeled in Raystown

The headrace for this mill from Phase 4-5, Northern mill 2, cuts the N boundary of the rectangular enclosure of Phase 3 (ME045-036007-) and also cuts both the construction ramp of souterrain 2 (ME045-036008-) and the headrace of Northern mill 1. It consists of a W-E headrace (excavated L 46.8m; Wth 2.65m; D 0.5m) that broadens into a millpond (L c. 11m; Wth 7.6m; D 0.5-0.75m), and the mill undercroft (dims 6.8m x 3.6m; max. D 1.44m) with straight sides. The fill of the millpond included a layer of burnt clay, oak charcoal and charred roundwoods which is interpreted as the remains of a wooden fence that had burnt and collapsed into the pond about half way through its silting. Charcoal from this produced a C14 date of 1020-1170 cal. AD, which is supported by a stick-pin with a zoomorphic head dated to c. 1080-1120 that was found in the lower fill of the pond. Two channels for flumes spanned the junction between the pond and the undercroft. The pit of the undercroft contained the base-plates (int. dims c. 3.4m E-W; c. 2.1m N-S) of the mill superstructure, connected by lap-joints and with stone walling in place above them at N and S. The W beam had a notch to retain the flume and an ash plank inside it has notches for the bridge-sole timber which would have supported the horizontal millwheel, of which there was no trace. (Seaver 2009, vol. 1, 87-92) See the attached plan from Seaver (2009, vol. 2, fig. 96) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 21 December 2021