Water mill - vertical-wheeled

The National Monuments Service's description

Mill building depicted at this location on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map. A small rectangular building north of St. Feichin's church (WM004-035003-) is pointed out as St. Feichin's mill. It is situated close to a spring and the ground is continuously flooded with water which runs around and through the building. The structure is of roughly coursed limestone with a very wide batter on the north side. The north and south walls survive to a max. H. of 3m while the west gable is 5m high. High up on the south-west gable is a stone with the inscription '549 T Mc D 1895' (Bradley et. al. 1985, 82). The mill may be the same building as mentioned in 1613 in a land grant to Richard Nugent, Lord Baron of Delvin which included 'a water-mill in the town of Fower' (Cal. pat. rolls Ire., Jas I, 238).

Compiled and revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 24 July 2015

References

Bradley, J., Halpin, A., and King, H. 1985 Urban archaeological survey - county Westmeath. Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

Cal. pat. rolls Ire., Jas I - Irish patent rolls of James I: facsimile of the Irish record commissioners' calendar prepared prior to 1830, with foreword by M.C. Griffith (Irish Manuscripts Commission, Dublin, 1966)