Transactions. 



61 



In the year 1780 Frew's mill was destroyed by lire, and the 

 existing buildings were erected on the same site the ye.u- follow- 

 in- under the direction of an eminent engineer, John Smeaton, 

 designer of Eddystone Lighthouse and many other great works 

 whose life forms one of the most interesting and instructive ot 

 the biographies contained in "Smiles' Lives of Engineers 

 Smeaton was born at Ansthrope, near Leeds, in the year 17.4, 

 and he died in 1792. He had been consulted by the Magistrates 

 of Dumfries on other matters beside the Mills. "One of the 

 earliest subjects on which Mr Smeaton was consulted " says Mr 

 Smiles, "was the opening up of river navigation. In 1760 he 

 reported to the Magistrates of Dumfries as to the improvement 

 of the Nith, but his advice-to form a navigable canal rather 

 than deepen and straighten the river at a much greater cost- 

 was not carried out for want of funds." The drawings for the 

 mills furnished by Smeaton are among the Town's papers. 



Before the erection of Frew's Mill, the Town possessed, on the 

 Dumfries side of the river, a water-mill, situated in the Millhole ; 

 another water-mill, called the " Sandbed Mill of Dumfries; 

 and a horse-mill, the site of which is now occupied by part of the 

 west side of the Brewery, at the head of Brewery Street 



We have no record regarding the erection of any of the three 

 mills on the Dumfries side of the river, but there is evidence of 

 the existence of buildings of this description in the Town at an 

 early period. There is mention of "Adam the Miller about 

 the middle of the 12th century, when Richard, son of llobert, 

 was arraigned for his murder in the Castle of Dumfries ; and m 

 1307, the Castle being in the hands of the English, command is 

 sent, on behalf of the King, to James de Dalileghe at fekymber- 

 nesse to provide wheat and barley, and have it ground at 



Dumfries. , ^ , 



Later we have reference to a mill-dam, in such terms as to 

 indicate its locality. In a Charter, by the King, dated Dumfries, 

 10th October, 1510, contirming the Charter which William 

 Cunninghame, Burgess of Dumfries, had previously granted to 

 the Parish Church of Dumfries (St. Michael's) of certain houses 

 and lands within the Burgh of Dumfries, mention is i^ade of- 

 « 8/ from the tenement of Shir Finlaii Makgilhauch, Chaplain; 

 4/ from the Orchard of the said Chaplain, hard by the mill-dam ; 

 12/ from the tenement of the^late John Steill, situated between 

 the mildam and the Clerkhill." 



