Mill, Churchquarter, Co. Waterford
Co. Waterford |
Mills
On the western bank of a small north-south stream running through Moorhill Glen in Churchquarter, Co. Waterford, there was once a mill. No trace of it survives today, but its existence is recorded on a map made in 1716 by Bateman, which places it precisely along this watercourse. By the time the first detailed Ordnance Survey edition was produced in 1840, a building was still being marked at the location, though at some point after that it disappeared from the landscape entirely, leaving nothing extant.
The Bateman map of 1716 is itself a relatively uncommon source, and its record of this mill offers a small but specific glimpse into the working infrastructure of early eighteenth-century Waterford. Mills of this period were typically used for grinding grain, though some processed wool or other materials, and their placement along reliable streams was determined by the need for a consistent flow of water to drive the wheel. The glen setting here, with its defined stream channel, would have suited exactly that purpose. The gap between the 1716 map and the 1840 record suggests the site remained in some form of use or at least remained structurally visible for well over a century before it was eventually lost.