Mill — fulling in Mullingar

In 1682 Sir Henry Piers recorded that ‘the name of the town if Englished, imports the short mill; indeed in my time, here hath been an over-shaft mill (WM019-089006-) of the least wheel that ever I saw, which with buckets and all was not eight foot (2.4m) in diameter, but now it is converted into a breast mill. There are also in this town on the same water [River Brosna], two other mills (WM019-089033-; WM019-089038-) (Vallancey 1786, 77). These two mills were probably the tucking mill called Francis's Mill and Hamons Mill (WM019-089038-). The precise location of the tucking mill known as Francis's Mill as mentioned in a 1612 land grant to Thomas Pettyt (Cal. pat. rolls Ire., Jas I, 233) has not been identified. The 1612 land grant states that 'a tucking mill, called Francis’s mill' was located on the 'E. side of the said Moate-mill in Mollingar' (ibid.). This places the tuck mill somewhere along the River Brosna to the E of the Moate Mill (WM019-089006-). In 1667 the confirmation of a land grant to Sir Arthur Forbes under the Acts of Settlement and Explanation listed the 'Priory Mill' (NLI p 1895) which may have been a reference to this tuck mill. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 27 June 2104