Mills of Marown

The following short article by Dr Larch Garrad appeared in The Manxman No 1of Summer 1975

The Field Section of the Isle of Man Natural History and Antiquarian Society are currently revising P. M. C. Kermode's List of Manx Antiquities and compiling a card index of the Isle of Man's industrial monuments. A study of watermills forms part of both these projects. Considerable research is needed both into their documented history and on the ground. Marown poses some particularly knotty problems.

In the sixteenth century it seems to have been rather ill-provided with mills since the earliest Manorial Roll lists only three un-localised little mills. B. R. S. Megaw has indicated (Mwyllin Beg: An Account of the Horizontal Mills in Journal of the Manx Museum IV, p 199-201) that when "small" or "little" mills are mentioned they are probably the Norse-type horizontal mill. Such mills leave very slight traces and may be impossible to locate after the passage of only a few years.

It would seem likely that they were somewhere near the main holdings of the men who paid Lord's rent for them. Following J. J. Kneen's identifications of Marown treens this would indicate that James McTere's would be on one of the northern tributaries of the Dhoo, either that joining at Crosby or, more probably, the next upstream — which runs through the field containing the remains of St. Trinian's. The nineteenth century Ordnance Survey plan clearly marks a mill at Rock Farm. Investigation shows that the building — of local stone, with a slated roof and comely wooden shutters on the windows of its upper floor — survives although the wheel has been removed and a vehicle shelter erected on its site. Its style is typical of Manx farm threshing mills, such as may also be seen at Scholaby and Glen Grenaugh. It is presumably the final replacement for the 'old mill-stead lately repaired' on which the Kelly family (William and Robert "na Creg") paid rent throughout the eighteenth century.

Similarly Gibbon McHelly of Ballanicholas probably had a mill on the Santon river. This stream is called Corna, a Norse name meaning mill river, in Chronicon Manniae but the main mill was Mullen e Quinney in Santon. According to the contemporary manuscript copy of the Manorial Roll, now in the Manx Museum Library (popularly called the 1703 Manorial Roll or the Lord's Composition Book) a Mullen Balniclas was compounded for in 1643 by Wm. Cubbon and Gilbert McHelly and the former and John Clucas were paying rent for it at the end of the century. However I could not find a mill by this name in the original Liber Assed.

The Marown mills are not named on every occasion that their rents were collected at this period. When, later in the eighteenth century, they are consistently named Wm. Cubbon and Ja. Clucas and his wife are among those paying rent for "Mullenglengroa". This place name, elucidated by J. J. Kneen as from the Manx, Mwyllin glion ny gro, the mill of the glen of the nuts, is said by him to be a lost locality. However as this or Mullen ne Groa it survives in the manorial roll until the collection of Lord's rents ceased in the twentieth century. The evidence given at the time of a lawsuit over water rights in 1801 makes it clear that Mullenglengroa was on the stream running from Braid ny Boshen to the Dhoo at Crosby. Its water rights had passed to an unlocated Crosby, or Ballavitchel, mill lower down this stream. Later in the century, as shown by the Ordnance Survey 25 in. plan, most of the water was diverted to the Rock threshing mill. This watercourse is now missing between the 400 ft. and 500 ft. contours.

The third Lord's mill in the parish was that of Fynlo Clerk, probably this was an ancestor of the flourishing flax mills which were usually part of the estate of Ballaquinnea Mooar in the eighteenth century. Mill rent was levied for these as Mullen e Caine. It appears that only flax was processed in the early nineteenth century but in 1828 a new 'Corn, Barley, Threshing and Flax Mill' was built adjoining the old mill. It seems highly probable that these were the mills more usually known as the Glen Darragh mill, where the mill wheel survives and is currently being repaired. The nineteenth century millers were Joseph Welch and his son, Thomas.

The tally of mills in Marown is completed by the several farm threshing mills. One, of which virtually every trace has gone, was at Ballaquinnea Beg. Possibly there was a tuck (=flax) mill near Ballawilleykilley. Traces of a stone building, called a house by the Ordnance Survey, and of the dam survive here. In the nineteenth century there was a dam just east of Boshen and in 1820 Ballakilley had a corn mill. The latter — the estate was renamed Ellerslie about 1833 by Joseph Faulder, the Castletown brewer, then tenant — may well not have been water powered.

One possible reason for a lack of reported mills in Marown was the Barony of St Trinians whose tenants were not set to any mill -

Lib Assed 1511 - these small (or more commonly little) mills was the name given to horizontal mills which were taxed at a considerably lower rent than the large vertical wheel mills.

From James McTere, Gibbon McHelly and Fynlo Clerke for 3 small mills there this year 6s

Lib Assed 1580 has

Thomas Moor for mill 5s
James mc Tear, Phinlo mc Kelly, Wm Helly, John mc yermode for 2 small? mills 2s

This Thomas Moore held the estate, part of the Bishop's Barony called Ballakilley adjacent to the old Marown Parish Church

Lib Assed 1600 has

Thomas Moore for mill 5s
James mc Teare, Finlo Kelly, Wm Kelly, Otes mc yermott for 2 mills 2s

Lib Canc 1602 pp 35/6 has three related complaints

John Moore complaineth against Nicholas Moore for stopping the water from his mynle wch is the tenant mylne of the parish by building of another mylne whereby he is greatly damaged ...And the great inquest to present at the next exchequer court whether the said milne be prejudicial to the tennant milne

Bahy Cotter als James? widow complaineth against Nicholas Moor for making a lough and causing a bogge of water to stand uppon her peny rent

Nicholas Moore complaineth against John Moore for withholding from him half a water corn mylne called Caynes milne

It would appear that Nicholas Moore dammed the stream feeding Cayne's mill - possibly feeding the 5d rent mill seen in the 1630 entry, though by this point the two Moore families would appear to have resolved the dispute.

Lib Assed 1630 has

Nicho Moore 2s 6d, Wm Moore 2s 6d for mill - 5s
Nicho Moore 5d, Tho Kelly 5d, Tho Moore 1d, Jo: Corleod and Eliz his wife 1d, Finlo Kelly, Jo: Callin 4d, Wm Cubbon and Alice Callin 2d, Finlo Kermod for 3 mills - 2s

Lib Assed 1639 has

Jo Moore 2s 6d, Wm Moore 2s 6d for mill - 5s
Jo Moore 5d, Jo Moore 5d, Tho Norres 1d, Tho Norres 1d, Jo: Corleod and Eliz his wife 1d, Finlo Kelly, Jo: Callin 4d, Wm Cubbon and Alice Callin 2d, Finlo Kermod for 3 mills - 2s

Lib Assed 1686 has

Wm Christian 2s 6d, Kath Cloage 2s 6d - 5s
Wm Christian, Tho Norres, Jo: Corleod and Eliz his wife, Fin: Kelly, Jo Moore 6d - 2s

The above changes in Caynes Mill occured in 1659 Kath Cloage replaced Robt Moore entered by a recovery in Chancery beinge the right heire thereof and in 1660 Henry Moore son to the John Moore and his wife have sould this with other rents unto Wm Xpin lieutenant, by lawfull conveyance - Wm Cubbon identifies this Liet Christian as one of the Maughold Christian family.

Lib Assed 1703 has

Mr Tho Christian Clerk 2s 6d, Ew Christian 2s 6d for mullen e Caine - 5s
Mr Tho Christian 10d, Ja Clague and his wife 1d, Jo Cottier 1d, Jo Clucas 6d, Wm Cubon 6d for mullen glonna groa - 2s
Wm Kelly ne Crogga, an old milnstead lately repaired - 12d

		Water powered Mills etc
Any comments, errors or omissions gratefully received The Editor © F.Coakley , 2024