Barony and Castle of Giffen - Giffen Mill

Giffen Mill

The old feudal or barony mill, also known as Barmill, Barrmill or Baroil is at Map reference: NS 3699 5133. The remains visible today are early 19th-century, probably rebuilt on an old site, when grain prices were driven up by the Napoleonic Wars. The external stair led to the kiln for drying the corn before it was ground. It was a three-storey, four-bay rubble building on a rectangular plan, now gutted and the upper part used as a store until recently. A small dovecot was located in the upper angle of the gable end above the miller's house yard. The mid-18th century substantial miller's house is still occupied and is in good condition. On General Roy's survey of 1747 - 55 Giffin Mill is present with a cluster of buildings nearby. The mill pond and lade are clearly marked on the 1858 OS map and a sand pit is marked nearby. The 1923 - 4 the OS map no longer marks the mill or its lade and mill pond.

Giffen would have been the thirled mill of the barony, thirlage being the feudal law by which the laird (lord) of Giffen could force all those vassals or suckeners living on his lands to bring their grain to his mill to be ground. Additionally the suckeners had to carry out repairs on the mill, maintain the lade and weir as well as conveying new millstones to the site.

Under thirlage the suckeners had to convey new millstones to their thirled mill, sometimes over significant distances, in this case they probably came from West Kilbride. The width of some of the first roads was determined by the requirement to have at least two people on either side of a new grindstone being transported, with a wooden axle called a 'mill-wand' passed through the hole in the centre.

As has already been mentioned, the miller's house had two carved stones from Giffen Castle built into its walls and a further one built into the gable end wall of the mill itself. In 2006 / 2007 the miller's house was renovated, however the other carved stones were not found during the re-roughcasting; they had been on the front. The grandfather of the present owner had the stones chipped off; they were located either side of the main entrance door. The 'Eagle' on the mill gable end is still in situ (see photograph).

Details of Giffen Mill - 2007

• The remains of the waterwheel inside the mill extension

• Inside the mill looking towards Greenhill

• The main mill machinery

• Carvings at the mill from the old castle

• The 'Eagle' from Giffen Castle, now in the lower gable wall of Giffen mill

• Giffen mill and Miller's house. The doorway is said to have come from the old castle.

• Giffen Mill and the old Miller's house from the village of Barrmill

• The Dusk Water which powered Giffen Mill