Building record MHG53614 - 16th century Mill - Nairnside, Cawdor (spurious)

Cartographic and documentary research associated with a planning application was carried out across this site. The site is indicated on an estate map of 1757 named ‘House of the Lint Mill’ with 2 buildings and a lade, a small farm town is marked to the North named ‘The Green & Town of Littletown’. The farm of Miltoun under the estate of Kilravock appears in charters of the Great Seal; a charter of Confirmation to Hugh Rose and his wife Katharine Falconer dated 12 November 1546 notes a mill and a house. It is again confirmed on the 8th March 1600 to William Rose of Kilravock with the mention of it having a corn mill and a waukmill. The mill appears very clearly on an aerial photograph of 1996, which shows the outline of at least two buildings. <1>

The interpretation of this being the site of the mill is incorrect. It is clear from the historic map evidence that the site of the lint mill as shown on the 1757 Estate Map, is in fact at the south end of the ground to the south of the house known as 'Nairnside' (at the approximate grid reference of NGR 282918 850224 - see MHG57185) and to the immediate southwest of the steadings. GIS comparison of the orientation and angles of the boundaries shown on the Estate Map with the OS 1st Edition map clearly indicates that this can be the only location. The mill lade shown running to the south of the house and steading on the OS 1st Edition map would appear to be the same as that shown on the Estate Map extract, albeit diverted slightly to its present line probably sometime in the early-mid C19. It is also clear that the identification of this mill has been conflated with the historic documentary references of the 'Miltoun' of the mill of Kilravock, located to the east, further along the River Nairn. On Blaeu's map of 1654 'Miltoun' is quite clearly shown opposite the tributary of the River Nairn that runs through Cawdor ('Caldell' on the map), though it is admitted that on Pont's map of 1580, it is sited slightly more to the west. However, neither the Pont nor Blaeu map were produced from actual measured surveys. The aerial photographic evidence referred to and shown in the report apparently showing cropmarks of the mill buildings in the above mentioned (<1>) report is ambiguous at best and is not to be relied upon. [IS-L 08/09/2016]

<1> Stuart Farrell, 06/2010, Archaeological Evaluation of a Development at Nairnside, Cawdor, Highland (Text/Report/Fieldwork Report). SHG24824.