Water mill - horizontal-wheeled

The National Monuments Service's description

During Phase 4 (700-900 AD) a substantial mill with a large oak framework was established over Southern mills 3 and 4. A SW-NE millrace expands into a shallow millpond (Wth 8-10m; L c. 20m; D 0.75m) that was filled largely with grey/brown silt deposits. At its NE edge boulder clay deposits formed a dam leading to the undercroft (dims 3m NE-SW; 2m NW-SE) that was formed by large oak base-beams, all of which survived except that at NE. A plank from the NW side-beam provided a C14 date of 763-895 cal. AD, and there were three other planks from the side-walls within the undercroft area. A second beam inside that at SW may have been for the bridge-sole. The tailrace ran SW-NE parallel with and just S of another channel that cut a major Phase 2 NE-SW ditch, but both channels were intended to function together. (Seaver 2009, vol. 1, 79-83)

See the attached illustrations from Seaver (2009, vol. 2)
_1 Phase 4 (fig. 76)
_2 Plan of Southern mill 5 (fig. 82)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 20 December 2021

References

Seaver, M. 2009 N2 Finglas-Ashbourne Road Scheme Report on Archaeological Excavation of Site 21, Raystown, County Meath. Licence: 03E1229. Unpublished Final report, vol. 1, text. CRDS