History of Benholm Mill

The Mill in Past Years

This section has been built using the excellent research in the booklet. The Mill of Benholm, the Story of a Scottish Meal Mill, produced by Kincardine and Deeside District Council, typeset and printed by Halcon Printing of Stonehaven, written by Lesley Miller and illustrated by Rebecca Hallewell. The booklet is available for purchase at the Mill tearoom.

Bochure

The Mill of Benholm lies in a wooded hollow near the quiet hamlet of Benholm, which is 21 km ( 13 miles) south of Stonehaven and one mile inland from the fishing village of Johnshaven. For many centuries Benholm and hundreds of similar small mills throughout Scotland were of vital importance to the rural community as the supplier of the main food item, oatmeal.Today, Benholm is the only surviving traditional water-powered meal mill in Kincardine.

It is probable that there has been a mill at Benholm since at least the 12th century, when a charter records that William the Lion, King of the Scots, granted the lands of Benne, including its pastures, moors, woods and mills, to Hugo, who then became Hugo de Benne. A charter in 1492 gives further evidence of a mill at Benholm when John and Isabel Lundy granted the lands and barony of Benhame with the mill to their son, Robert. Later records show that the lands of Benholm, together with the mill, passed by marriage in the 16th century from the Lundy family to the Keiths, the powerful Earls Marischal. Throughout the 18th and most of the 19th century Benholm estate was owned by the Scott family before being sold to William Smith in 1879. The estate was broken up in 1905, the mill being sold with the farm of Brotherton.

1990s renovations

It was customary in past years for the mill to be owned by the landlord, and tenant farmers were bound by their leases to take their oats to be ground at the estate mill; tenants were said to be "thirled" or "bunsucken" to that specific mill. The miller's payment, known as "the multure", was an agreed proportion of the meal ground for each tenant, or "suckener". It was often said that the miller's sow was always well fed! Tenants were also obliged to help with the maintenance of the mill and with the conversance of new millstones when required. This latter task was particularly unpopular as the stones were heavy and cumbersome and the quarry was often some distance from the mill.

Sometimes horses were employed to bring the new stone home but more often it was set on its edge and rolled homewards, controlled by men at either end of a long pole inserted through the central hole. Tenants from different estates frequently quarrelled over millstones and a report exists which tells of a fierce fight between the tenants of the Ead Marischal and those of a neighbouring estate when the Earl's men were collecting a new stone from the quarry at the Knox of Benholm in July 1617.

In 1929 the Mill of Benholm was leased to Mr Lindsay Watson. When Mr Watson died in 1951 his son, Mr Lindsay C. Watson, bought the mill and for the first time in its history the mill was owned by the miller. Many changes were to take place in the farming world during the three decades of the younger Lindsay Watson's ownership. Not least of these were the introduction of the combine harvester and the decline of oats in favour of barley. Before purpose-built grain dryers became available, the kiln at Benholm was in constant demand by local farmers during harvest time for the drying of combined barley. The market for oatmeal declined during Mr Watson's years as miller and his retail market, which had originally covered an area stretching from Barras to Laurencekirk and Montrose, dwindled. There was also a reduced demand for bruised oats for horses, now mainly replaced by the tractor. Mr Watson diversified by producing feeds mixed specifically for pigs, calves, poultry and even racing pigeons.

Machinery

During Mr Watson's period of ownership the Mill of Benholm featured as the setting for several television productions. The most evocative of thesis was as Long Rob's Mill in the BBC production of Sunset songs, the serialized version of the novel by local author, Lewis Grassic Gibbon. Gibbon's novel was set in his home country, the farmlands of Kincardine, and his characters, including Long Rob the Miller, were based on the folk who lived and worked here. The mill and waterwheel also provided a superb setting for televised programme of fiddle music, one of which featured Yehudi Menuhin.

After Mr Watson's death in 1982 the Mill of Benholm slowly deteriorated as it lay silent and deserted by the stream. In 1986 it was purchased by Kincardine and Deeside District Council and the long process of restoration to working order began.

The Millers of Benholm

The only requirement of the earliest millers was that their should be Good and honest men.

From Benholm Parish records it is possible to trace the names, although not the period of tenure, of the good and honest men of Benholm over a period of three hundred years.

1696            Archibald Brozvn
1706            Robert Molfson
1720            Alexander Steil
1742            William Glen
1753            George.Smith
1760            Richard Dorrel
1769            David Milne
1782            David Coullie
1784            John Kemloe
1801            James Mill or Milne
1811            James Davidson
1836            William Clark
1853-1878       James Dallas
1878-1896       James and David S. Dallas
1896-1908       David S. Dallas
1912-1929       Wiliam Greig
1929-1951       Lindsay Watson
1951-1982       Lindsay C Watson

The Restoration of the Mill

The first task in the restoration process was the repair of a large hole in the lade wall caused by flooding. This and several other minor works to the weirs and stream banks were undertaken bit volunteers from the Scottish Conservation Projects Trust participating in the Action Breaks Programme between 1987 and 1989.

In 1989 the restoration work began in earnest with the help of teams on government work programmers. Much of the work on underground drainage and damp proofing the main buildings was undertaken during that period. In addition the grain store. now the miller's office, was partially rebuilt and the main mill building was re-roofed and re-floored.

Between 1991 and 1994 the old miller's house and the byre were considerably rebuilt and eventually re-roofed. During that period Whittaker Engineering of Stonehaven rebuilt and installed a new waterwheel and main cast iron gears; they also worked on the water flow from the dam and at the tailrace to ensure that water came on and off the new wheel at the correct levels.

Constructing the lade

Early In 1994 the final phase- of the restoration started as a long term special project by the Scottish Conservation Projects Trust. The retaining wall of the Burn of Benholm was, completely rebuilt from a point opposite the bridge over the dam down to the tailrace. Various local specialist contractors undertook roofing, electrical, drainage and fencing work. The buildings were all completed with drains installed and floors laid; the cafe and toilets were fitted out. At the same time the painstaking restoration of the mill machinery progressed.

Footpaths and bridges were constructed and the old turn pike bridge was cleared of trees and scrub and opened up for the first time in many years.The car park and reed lied were constructed by specialist local contractor.A small group of craftsmen and craftswomen from the conservation volunteers of 1994 stayed on and completed all the landscape construction and the machinery restoration during the first half of 1995.

The restoration of the Mill of Benholm took nine years to complete. All the restoration work was directed and supervised by staff from the Leisure and Recreation Section of the District Council. Those who took part in the project learned many new skills and everyone involved achieved a great sense of pride and satisfaction.

The Mill of Benholm was officially opened to the public on 6th July 1995 and a new chapter in the story of the mill began.

History of Benholm Mill

History of Benholm Mill

The Mill in Past Years

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