Luffness the mill, the map and the remains.
The Seventeenth Century
For
Scotland the seventeenth century was a time of much tragedy and
transformation as it progressed from the medieval to the modern. This
period of change is our starting point for a journey through the ages
using maps1
as our guide and the Luffness Mill area as our focus.
The
first person we meet in this century is the mysterious Timothy Pont
(1564- 1614). He produced the first detailed maps of Scotland2.
We know very little about his life but his maps went on to form the
basis of the fifth volume of Joan Blaeu's first world atlas.
Joan Blaeu (c. 1599-1673) Lothian and Linlitquo published 1654.
The Dutch printers Joan Blaeu and his father
Willem set out to beat their rivals by printing a monumental atlas of
the world. They were supplied with cartographic and topographic
information about particular countries through their many
collaberators across Europe. In the case of Scotland, this was Sir
John Scot of Scotstarvit who sent Blaeu, Pont's maps of Scotland.
However not all were in a good enough state to be printed directly
but required further information and more detail to be added. This
was done by Robert Gordon of Straloch (1580-1661)
and his son James Gordon of Rothiemay (c.1615-1686)3.
Luffness is depicted in the
atlas on a map titled 'Lothian and Linlitquo' (illustration
1).
Here we can see the old castles of the area depicted with fences or
walls around them and although Luffness, Dirleton and Balencrief
still have either castles or tower houses the one at 'Ervistoun' no
longer exists. Ervistoun is probably Elvingston near Gladsmuir. The
house that exists on the site now dates to 1837 but no physical
evidence has been found for the earlier building which is thought to
have dated to the medieval period4.
One odd touch is the row of red buildings
stretching along the coast from Luffness.
Illustration
1: Joan Blaeu Lothian and Linlitquo published 1654.
The Hydrographicall mappe of Forth from the entry to ye Queens-ferry
An imprint of a map from 1683 by John Adair (ca.
1650-1722) shows Luffness with the interesting spelling of
'Lovenesse' (illustration
2). This is
also the first time that I have seen a map that labels Aberlady Bay
as 'hadington port'. Aberlady was indeed the port for the county town
of Haddington until the trade moved to road or rail. Another first
for this map is the attempt at showing topography of the area in
depicting Gullane Hill.
Illustration
2: The Hydrographicall mappe of Forth from the entry to ye
Queens-ferry / authore J. Adair. Imprint:[1683]
These 'Hydrographicall' maps were made to
encourage foreign trade by reducing the losses to shipping that had
often occurred on the Scottish coast. The maps were partly paid for
by a tonnage levy placed on shipping although the funds from this
proved insufficient for the completion of the maps5.
The hand drawn manuscript version of John Adair's
1682 map (illustration 3)
shows the presence of mills which are indicated by the star symbol.
This is the earliest cartographic evidence for the presence of a mill
at Luffness. On an engraved version of 1736 (illustration
4) the mills are named and the word 'Peffer' makes it's
first appearance.
Illustration
3: John Adair Map 1682, showing the Port of Haddington. The
star symbol represents the location of a mill. This is the earliest
evidence for the presence of a mill at Luffness.
Illustration
4: A map of East Lothian survey'd by J. Adair. Imprint:
[Edinburgh : Cooper, ca. 1736]
Roads and Roy
Although the previous maps show the basic lay out
of the area they would have proved quite limited if they were used as
a tool for overland navigation. There just isn't the detail or
accuracy required. However this was to change when the requirement
for a map of Scotland that could be used by the military to quell any
unrest in the hearts of restless natives. This came in the form of
Roy's Military Survey of Scotland. The lowlands were surveyed between
1752-55.
Here for the first time are roads and field
boundaries (illustration
5).
Illustration
5: Roy's Military Survey of Scotland, 1747-55
William Forrest and the county map.
The county maps were the most detailed portrayal
of the landscape prior to the Ordance Survey. They were often at
large scales of one and two miles to the inch, showing natural
features such as relief, rivers, woodland and coastlines. A range of
human settlements are shown and named for the first time, including
many isolated farms and hamlets. The map also includes the name and
title of the landowner. In the case of Luffness we can see that it is
Colonel Hope. The Hope family bought Luffness in 17396.
Illustration
6: William Forrest's Map of Haddingtonshire 1799
On William Forrest's 1799 map of Haddingtonshire
(illustration
6) we see for
the first time the 'Marle Loch'. The Marl was a calcium rich soil
which was dug and spread on the surrounding fields in an attempt to
make the soil less acidic and thereby increase fertility. The marl
would have been dug in the winter and left for the frost to break it
down before being harrowed in come the spring time. The practice
ended with the wide spread use of artificial fertilisers. This
resulted in the unused pits filling with water.
The lime quarry would probably provided lime was
for building mortar, limewash, lime plaster or mixed with clay as a
binder. However, apart from prestige structures such as churches,
castles and bridges, most buildings would not have been of stone but
of timber or wattle, reeds, and thatch, and coated or infilled with
various combinations of clay and lime7.
Let us take a closer look at Luffness Mill which
is now detailed on the map for the first time (illustration
7). The map
shows us the orrentation of the mill pond and how it was fed by two
'mill lades' and a 'tail race' which allowed the spent water from the
mill wheel to flow to the Peffer. The mill dam was constructed to
raise the water level in the pond and provide a motive force for the
wheel. Sluices would have controled the flow of water into the mill
lades.
Illustration
7: Luffness Mill in detail on William Forrest's Map of
Haddingtonshire 1799
Ordnance Survey.
The progress towards a more detailed accurate map
of Britain was made more of a certainty with the foundation of the
Ordnance Survey in 1791. The primary triangulation of Scotland
started in 1814 but it wasn't until 1859 that most of the Scottish
lowlands were complete8.
We really get the most detail yet with the production of the first
comprehensive topographic survey of Scotland at the six-inch to the
mile scale (illustration
8).
Illustration
8: Ordnance Survey Haddingtonshire, Sheet 4 Survey date: 1853
Publication date: 1854
These wind blown bents are not the well manicured
fairways of today which are lush in their out of season verdant
pop-up-sprinklered pampering. No, these slopes will have to wait
another 40 years before the foundation of Luffness Golf Club.
However there is evidence of another sport and
that is curling. The rectangular object to the left of the foot brdge
is a curling pond. This feature can be seen to this day although any
curling has long since ceased. It is described n the Aberlady Bay
Local Nature Reserve Annual Report 2009/10 as '….an old man-made
pool that has been colonised by a wide variety of marshland plants.
It features a number of scarce species, some of which are rare
elsewhere on the Reserve, which contribute towards making the area
unique in the context of the rest of the site.'. I suppose that
climate change has made outdoor curling a dim and distant memory
almost to the point of incrdulity that it ever actually happened.
On the map, we can follow the old path up the hill
to the site of many ancient finds that is Gala Law. Here we see that
a Whinstone Quarry is in operation. Whinstone is a quarrying name for
any hard dark rock such as the igneous rock basalt. Basalt was porved
in the past to be chemically identical to lava9.
It is generally used for road stone or dry stone walls.
If we come down the road the first buildings we
come to are Luffness Mill. Let us take a closer look (illustration
9).
Illustration
9: Ordnance Survey Haddingtonshire, Sheet 4 Survey date: 1853
Publication date: 1854
Here we can see the sluices which would have
controlled the water level. There are some remains of sluices in the
woods to the south of the map and the course of the old 'Mill Lead'
can still be seen.
Illustration
10: Some remains of a sluice where the original southern sluice
was located.
Illustration
11: The remains of the southern mill lead as photographed in
2013.
The 1854 map labels Luffness Mill as a 'Saw Mill'
and given it's location you would believe it to be water driven. At
this stage it would look like the mill at Luffness was a water driven
saw mill. The round building beside it is listed by Historic Scotland
as a 'kiln' and they describe it thus;
'1820-30. Detached circular kiln. Random rubble, walls, circa 10ft high with arched draw vent at ground to W now blocked, window opening close under eaves to E. Inside walls taper to ground. Polygonal pantiles to roof, ventilator missing. Formerly used to dry timber for a sawmill (OS Map 1854) which was probably located to the S. Currently in poor condition. Similar in form to Seton Mill Kiln, Tranent parish.'10.
Having spent a lot of time in the kiln as a child
I find it hard to see how they would have fitted much wood inside,
never mind how they would have got it in there in the first place.
What would have been much more use on an estate
would have been a kiln to dry grain. It would have been essential to
dry the corn before milling it, especially in Scotland's damp
climate. The kiln does look very much like those at Seton Mill
(illustration 10)
or Preston Mill (illustration
11), both of which were corn mills.
Illustration
12: John R Hume View from SW showing part of WNW and SSW fronts
of mill with kiln in background SC710583 Copyright RCAHMS
Illustration
13: William Notman View of Seton Mill, East Lothian. DP075659
Copyright
Now have a look an an old postcard image of
Luffness Mill (illustration
12). I find the similarities between the corn mill kilns
and the wood drying kiln at Luffness to be quite supportive of my
theory that Luffness' real purpose was for drying grain.
Illustration
14: Old postcard of Luffness Mill
Illustration
15: The kiln at Luffness Mill in 1985
Illustration
16: The kiln in 1989 showing a blocked vent at the bottom between
the logs
In fact by 1854 water powered 34 corn and meal
mills in East Lothian11.
The vassals held the land by feudal tenure and as such had to bring
their corn to the mill of the landowner in an act called 'thirling'.
Here the grain would be ground and measured for taxation purposes
with a cut going to the landowner and some to the miller. Practically
every landowner had a mill and I suggest that perhaps the purpose of
the mill was changed to a saw mill when the act of thirling was
abolished in 1799.
Into the 20th Century
The finely detailed maps of 1892 (illustration
13) and 1907 (illustration
14) show the mill pond as no longer being fed from the
Peffer and the only label on the buildings of what is now called
Luffness Mill Cottages is 'Saw Mill'.
A saw mill, with a large circular saw was in
existence up until the end of the 20th century. This was
in one of the single story buildings adjoining the cottages and not
in a separate building as is depicted on the map. The saw was powered
by diesel which would have been more economic to run then the up keep
of the water mill complex. Perhaps it was partly for this reason that
the water driven mill was demolished.
Illustration
17: OS 25 inch survey 1892 Haddingtonshire sheet 4 detail of
Luffness mill race no longer shown at the Peffer.
Illustration
18: OS 25 inch survey 1907 Haddingtonshire sheet 4 Detail Luffness
Saw Mill
We can see from an aerial photograph of 1945
(illustration 15)
that the mill pond looks like it is overgrown but there is not enough
resolution to make out distinct buildings. However, by 1965 the mill
pond is distinctly overgrown and the mill demolished (illustration
16).
Illustration
19: Air Photo Mosaics of Scotland, 1944-1950
Illustration
20: 1965 1:2500 Ordnance Survey map
The area of the mill pond that was nearest the cottages was used as a dump for waste from Luffness estate during the latter half of the twentieth century. The water that flowed into the hollow that was the pond still had to drain out over the road and into the Peffer through what was left of the tail race. This was eventually piped under the gardens of the cottages. However when the tide was high the brackish water would flow up the pipe and flood the cottage front garden.
LUFFNESS
MILL, EVENING
Patrick
William Adam RSA (1854-1929)
Adam
was born in Edinburgh. He settled in North Berwick in 1908 and spent
the rest of his life there recording the interiors of local society
households. Adam died at North Berwick on 27th December 1929, aged
75.
1All
of the maps come from the National Library of Scotland unless
otherwise stated.
2
http://maps.nls.uk/pont/history/history-over.html
4http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/290622/details/tranent+elvingston/
5
Geography, Science and National Identity: Scotland Since 1520 By
Charles W. J. Withers. Page 91
6http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/55029/details/luffness+house/
7
http://www.bgs.ac.uk/mendips/aggregates/history/limeburning.html
8Fleet,
C. and Withers, C.,Ordnance Survey Maps - Six-inch 1st edition,
Scotland, 1843-1882: A Scottish paper landscape. National Library
of Scotland.(http://maps.nls.uk/os/6inch/os_info1.html).
9
http://www.lindahall.org/events_exhib/exhibit/exhibits/vulcan/56_large.shtml
10
http://data.historic-scotland.gov.uk/pls/htmldb/f?p=2200:15:0::::BUILDING:6559
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