Scutch Mill

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Small scale vernacular mill ensemble consisting of a three-storey scutch mill (originally a corn mill) of c.1850, but possibly containing the fabric pre 1834 structure, with an adjacent engine house, two-storey corn kiln of 1850, and the remains of the -possibly pre 1834- miller’s house. The buildings are located in rolling countryside at the end of a lane off Lisgallon Road, roughly half way between Dungannon and Aughnacloy, just north of the River Oona. The scutch mill and engine house lie on the south side of the site with remains of the mill race running between them, the corn kiln is the north, with the ruinous former miller’s house to the north-east.

Scutch mill
This is three-storey former corn mill that may have been built pre 1834 as a two-storey structure, and later lifted a level. Adjacent to the south side is an engine house, and set between both is the remains of the water wheel. The mill is a relatively plain, but solid looking, rectangular structure, constructed in field stone with roughly dressed quoins, and a gabled roof finished with natural slate. It has a projecting eaves course, but no rainwater goods.

[The front façade faces south-east, for ease of description this is referred to as east; orientations of all other facades are similarly ‘corrected’.]

To the right side of the ground floor of the front façade is a large sliding timber door. To the left is a small personnel door. Both door openings are flat-headed and both doors are timber-sheeted. Above there are six evenly arranged flat-headed window openings, whose frames are missing.

Attached to the south gable is the remains of the water wheel, which was fed by the mill race from the nearby Oona River. Metal portions of the water wheel have survived but most of the timber paddles have perished.

The west façade is blank; a series of pattress plates have been installed to stabilise the walls.

The north façade is symmetrical, and is approached via a full width ramp which gives vehicular access to the first floor door. The door opening itslef is flat-headed with a stone segmental-headed relieving arch over. At first floor there is a flat-headed window opening. This has a timber sheeted shutter.

Engine shed
To the south side of the water wheel is the engine shed, which may be of pre 1834 construction. This is single-storey with a loft level, has walls of rubble field stone and a gabled roof covered with corrugated-iron.

The east façade has a large steel clad sliding door; the opening is flat-headed. This was widened with the insertion of a concrete lintel; the opening was remade in concrete block.

The southern gable is blank. The western façade has a series of bricked up openings.

The northern gable has a high-level flat-headed window opening with the remains of a sash window. Power ‘take offs’ span between the engine shed and the mill.

Corn kiln
This is a two-storey gabled structure of 1850 with single-storey additions to the north and south gables. The walls of the building are constructed in rubble fieed stone and have roughly dressed quoins and the roof is finished with natural slate; there is a projecting eaves course, but the rainwater goods are missing.

The west front façade has a single door opening to the right side and various, randomly arranged window openings. Door and window openings are flat-headed and have various timber and corrugated-iron coverings. Below the eaves there is a carved date stone that reads ‘Rebuilt by J Y Burgess 1850’.

Attached to the north gable (but set off-centre) there is a single-storey addition with a large vehicle opening. On the first floor level of the gable of the main block there is a small window opening.

Attached to the south gable there is a single-storey lean-to addition with a small door opening to west and a corrugated-iron roof. On the first floor level of the gable of the main block there is a small bricked-up window opening.

The miller’s house to the north-east is a ruinous (and roofless) single-storey gabled building with what appears to have been an attached outbuilding to the south side. It has walls of rubble stone with window headers in brick. To the (east) front there is a shallow left of centre porch with a window opening to either side. No doors or window frames remain.

Historical information

HB13.12.049 Scutch mill, Ennish Td, Castlecaulfield, Co. Tyrone
According to some historical notes on display within this mill, the mill race was made in 1770, indicating milling activity of some description on this site from that point onwards. On the OS map of 1834 a 'corn kiln' is shown on the site of the present (now disused) kiln to the north, with three other buildings just to the south -marked 'corn mill'- one of which appears to occupy the site of the present scutch mill. There was also with another building further to the north, on the other side of the mill pond. The valuation of the September of the same year provides more detail, telling us that all of the structures were thatched and that the site included -as well as the corn mill and kiln- a flax mill as well as two houses for the flax miller and corn miller respectively. All of these buildings, were single-storey, bar the corn mill which at 32½ft x 21½ 14ft high probably contained an upper level. Interestingly, these measurements match the present building in terms of footprint. At this date the whole grouping was in the hands of a David Murry, and rated at £6.

The date stone on the present corn kiln (to the north) states that it was 'Rebuilt by J[ohn] Y[nyr] Burgess' (of Parkanaur Manor, Castlecaulfield) in 1850. This is shown on the revised OS map of 1857, along with the miller's house to the north-west, and what appears to be the present scutch mill, but which at that point was actually the corn mill. Unfortunately the valuation of c.1859 does not supply any building dimensions, but the relatively high rateable value for the whole concern of £23 suggest the today's mill was indeed standing in its present three-storey form. It too may have been 'rebuilt' in 1850, but the fact that, as stated above, its plan matches that recorded in 1834 suggests it may represent an older building raised a storey. There appears to be no obvious physical evidence (in terms of the coursing of the stonework) to support this, however.

Corn milling continued on the site, under the direction of a Michael Hughes from 1862 to 1901, and then a Barnes McClean. A description in a valuers' office notebook dating from 1902 tells us that that the mill contained '2 pairs of stones (one grinding and one shelling), with fans, sifters and elevators. [The] mill has been some time idle; [the] present occupier commenced work in October last [and] says he expects only two months work in the year'.

In 1917 the property was purchased by W.S. Bennett and the corn mill converted to a scutch mill. This continued to be driven by water power, however frequent shortages of water during the summer months prompted Hugh John Bennett to introduce an engine in 1944, installed by A.S. McKee & Sons of Cranslough.

The mill, which had a workforce of eleven in 1945, was worked up until 1950. Thereafter the building appears to have been used as a store, until the early 2000s when the present owner decided to embark upon its restoration, work which is still ongoing.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL1A/6/53 OS map, Co. Tyrone sheet 53, with valuation
references, 1834(-c.38)
2 ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland…vol.1 (QUB, 1990), ed. Anqelique Day and Patrick McWilliams, (1835, 1838)
3 PRONI VAL1B/67 First valuation, Killeeshil parish, 1834
4 PRONI VAL2A/6/53A OS map, Co. Tyrone sheet 53, with valuation references, 1857(-c.59)
5 PRONI VAL2B/6/8 Second valuation, Killeeshil parish, c.1859
6 PRONI VAL12B/38/10A Annual valuation revision book, Clonaneese ED, 1860-63
7 PRONI VAL12B/38/10B Annual valuation revision book, Clonaneese ED, 1864-79
8 PRONI VAL12B/38/10C Annual valuation revision book, Clonaneese ED, 1880-81
9 PRONI VAL12B/38/10D Annual valuation revision book, Clonaneese ED, 1882-96
10 PRONI VAL12B/38/10E Annual valuation revision book, Clonaneese ED, 1897-1911
11 PRONI VAL12A/6/22 Valuers' office notebook, Dungannon Union, 1902-07
12 PRONI OS6/6/53/3 OS map, Co. Tyrone sheet 53, 1907
13 PRONI VAL12B/38/10F Annual valuation revision book, Clonaneese ED, 1912-29
14 NIEA OS map, Co. Tyrone sheet 53, 1935
15 PRONI VAL3C/7/10 First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland, Clonaneese ED, 1936-56
16 PRONI VAL4B/6/14 Second General Revaluation of Northern Ireland, Clonaneese ED, 1957-72
17 NIEA McCutcheon Collection T/1101-07 Photos of corn mill site, Ennish TD, c.1960-70s

Secondary sources
1 Historical notes displayed on site [?written c.2005]

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
E. Spatial Organisation
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Z. Rarity
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Small scutch mills once littered the Ulster countryside, but only a very small handful have survived in anything like their original form. This building -which is probably c.1850, but may contain the fabric of a pre 1834 structure- is one of these exceptions, being largely original both inside and out, and retaining its machinery, including the remains of the water wheel and a splendidly well-maintained 1940s diesel engine. It is also an interesting piece of what might be termed 'vernacular industrial heritage' in its own right, and shares group value with the close by surviving corn kiln. The fact that it originally started out as a corn mill adds to its interest.