Water mill - vertical-wheeled

The National Monuments Service's description

On the S bank of the River Nore, c. 600m ENE of Kilkenny Castle (KK019-026078----) and c. 200m E of the Ormonde Mills (KK019-027----) complex. Known as the 'Archers Mills'. The medieval Lacken Mills (KK019-028----) and Magdalen Mills (KK019-026076-) are located on the opposite/N bank and all the mills on this stretch of the Nore were sited to take advantage of the increased flow of the river as it exited a meander.
The Ormond Deeds record that in 1399 James, earl of Ormonde, granted to William Archer, carpenter, the use and profits of four mills in and near Kilkenny (Curtis 1934, vol. 2, no. 343, 242-3). These mills were to be repaired by Archer and remained in the possession of the family until the 17th century (Doyle 1985, 247). The terrier accompanying the Down Survey (1655-6) parish map of ‘St Patrick’s Parish’ mentions that there is, 'in Archersgrove a Thatcht House [KK019-080001-] and two mills in repaire' [KK019-050----] and lists 'Thomas Archer Ir[ish] P[apist]' as the proprietor in 1640 (Hibernia Regnum, courtesy of Trinity College Dublin). The Civil Survey (1654-6) describes the mills belonging to Thomas Archer as, 'being 3 in num[ber] [ ] distinct building [ ] wherein stands a corne ye [ ] walls stone ye ruffe p[ar]t Slate and p[ar]t Thatch. A Building joyning thereunto wherin stands a ruinous Tuck Mill) ye walls stone and ye ruffe Thatch. Another building (wherein stands a Corne mill) ye walls stone and ye ruffe thatch' (Simington 1942, vol. 6, 549). Though not indicated on the Down Survey maps, it is possible that the third mill may refer to one in Dukesmeadows, known as Archers Mills and later as Dullard's Mills (Bradley 2000, 16).
In 2002, following excavations (licence no. 01E1041), these mill buildings, referred to locally as the 'Tuck Mill' and consisting of two ruinous but upstanding buildings of 18th/19th-century date, were removed to facilitate the widening of the River Nore as part of the OPW Kilkenny City Drainage Scheme (Doyle 2004, 247). In the course of the excavation the earliest building was identified by an E-W oriented wall, which partially cut into the silted-up river channel. Two N-S aligned walls ran off this latter wall at right angles. The walls were roughly built with limestone rubble and coarse limestone mortar (ibid.). This U-shaped structure had no northern wall or floor levels associated with it, presumably owing to their removal in later phases (ibid.). The excavator speculated that these may represent the remains of a 17th-century mill building (ibid.).

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly and Cóilín Ó Drisceoil

Date of upload: 13 November 2020

References

Doyle, I. 2004 1008 The 'Tuck Mill'/'Archer's Mills', Dukesmeadows, Kilkenny (Site NOR 17): post-medieval milling complex. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2002: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 274-5. Bray. Wordwell.

Bradley, J. 2000 Kilkenny. Irish Historic Towns Atlas no. 10. Dublin. Royal Irish Academy.

Curtis, E. (ed.) 1934 Calendar of Ormond Deeds 1350-1413 A.D. Vol. 2. Dublin. The Stationery Office.

Simington, R.C. (ed.) 1942 The Civil survey, AD 1654-1656. Vol VI: county of Waterford. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.