0'E.Eii,LY — Ancient Wafo'-mills, Native and Foreign. 81 



in diameter, the unclerstone being only 3 inches thick at the centre. 

 The shaft, about 6 feet in length, was rather of an ornamental 

 character, and contained at the lower end a series of mortises for the 

 reception of the 'vrater-vanes. The mill was found buried deeply 

 under turf. In 1838 three relics of the floats or vanes of a Norse 

 mill-wheel were discovered at Banagher, Co. Deny, all (except one 

 of yew) being of black oak. They were of scoop-like shape, the 

 dished-end serving to catch the force of the stream more effectively 

 than a flat board. Each float was 14 inches in length, perforated 

 and fitted with a projecting ledge at the naiTOw end for fixing into 

 the shaft. 



(p. 15.) — One of the most complete relics was described, in 1856, 

 by Mr. M'Adam (^Ulster Journal of Archceology, 1856, p. 6). 



(p. 16.) — In Scotland the mill has long been known under the 

 designation " IS'orse mill." In the Islands of Colonsay and Oronsay 

 the small meal-mills built across streams, and now driven by ordinary 

 vertical wheels, were anciently worked by horizontal JS'orse-wheels, 

 and known under the term " Miiilean-duhh,''^ or black mills. One of 

 them has been pointed out at the farm of Barierdomin-mor. The 

 sides of the small stream had been btiilt up with diy stone-walling for a 

 length of 8 or 10 feet to a height of about 4 feet, with a circTilar 

 recess, in which the horizontal wheel turned. The stream was 

 bridged by four or five long undi-essed stones, upon which the mill 

 hurst had been constructed, and in one of these remained a portion of 

 the hole through which the spindle ft'om the wheel beneath had passed 

 to the millstone. Other ruins are mentioned at Machrines, Bulnahard, 

 TTragang, and Ardskinnish. !N"o information could be obtained as to 

 these latter water-mills having been utilized for grinding meal during 

 living memory, though it was said they had been to some extent 

 utilized for bruising malt for making smuggled spirits. Throughout 

 the district the Norse-mill, either in use or in ruins, abounds. 

 Wherever a small stream runs rapidly down to the sea may be found 

 a series of these little mills at no great distance from one another 

 (Soc. Scot. Antiq., 1883, 292). In some instances a double millrace 

 running under the structure with a wheel and pair of stones at each 

 end of it, the mill, of course, possessing no cog-gearing, and a separate 

 wheel being thus always required for each pair of stones. 



(p. 19.) — In Lewis and the Shetlands the Norse-mill is still com- 

 mon, being continued, says Professor Mitchell, rather from choice than 

 from necessity or ignorance. The same authority has given an excel- 

 lent description of these curious survivals of bygone times. The nulls 



