(55) Baldwin (Baldal) Mill
From 1868 O/S Plan X.11 - SC 353810
The mill race, to west of the River Glas flowing N-S,
is fed from an upstream weir south of a saw mill,
the race also feeds a lead mine, presumeably for a water wheel as there
is shown a trough crossing above the river. The small hamlet boasts
2 public houses and a smithy.
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Extracted from a sketch held at Manx Museum dated Aug 1880 by John Miller
Nicholson labeled as "West Baldwin"
Would appear to be a breast fed wheel (? 15ft diameter)
- it is likely that the extension is a kiln added to the original mill
building.
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Baldal miln heads the list of Lord's
mills in Braddan starting from 1511 - it was also the highest rent of 11s,
Doway (later Mullen Oates/ Union Mills)being 9s 8d and Medall (later Pulrose)
5s - these rents remained the same until Lord's rent ended in 1910.
Like all ancient mills it will have been rebuilt several times
In the 1704 Composition book Pat Kelly for three parts of halfe a water corn
miln called Baldin miln rent 4s 1½d and John Kelly for the fourth part
of the said halfe miln rent 16½d; the other half was held by John Gellin;
similar family names remain as owner so that in 1797 Titus Oates 2s 9d, Jno
Kelly junr(Ballaquine) 1s 4½d, Robt Kelly 1s 4½d, and Jno Gelling
5s 6d;
T.M.Cowells description in Baldwin My Valley:
Perhaps the oldest and most distinguished of the village buildings is the
cornmill whose deeds go back to 1851 but is probably much older; certainly
there has been a mill here for many centuries, one being mentioned on this
site in the Manorial Roll of 1511. The large mill wheel was worked by water
taken upstream from the Glass river opposite the Methodist Chapel. A wooden
viaduct took the water across the little river from Glen Darragh. The viaduct
was raised on a wall of stones and the flow of water was controlled by a sluice
gate which is still in place today. When the sluice was open the water then
ran in an open trench along the roadside in the village, down behind the village
shop and then out to the top of the wheel. The millrace then returned the
water to the river. The mill was run by Tommy Clague and his brother. Tommy
lived in Garwick Cottage which has been modernised and is now known as Mill
House. In the miller's cottage lived Philip Corlett.
References
G. N. Kniveton Baldwin My Valley Douglas The Manx Experience 1990
