Melingriffith

One of the most-frequently raised queries about Whitchurch relates to our subject this time; the mill at Melingriffith

Where was it? How old, and what sort of mill was it? What happened to it, and of course, who was Griffith (of mill fame)?

Perhaps we should start with what we know. It’s pretty clear that there’s nothing there now, except the name, and the old mill feeder. Some people say that the old mill stones near the entrance to the canal walk were from Melingriffith; who knows! There are lots of references to the mill in old documents and clearly, Melingriffith is very old

Quite how old the mill might have been, is tricky. In all likelihood, pre-conquest, and possibly even earlier! If there was a mill at Melingriffith for many hundreds of years until the 18th century, it might easily have had a very early ancestor too. But this would be pure conjecture

Flatford Mill in Suffolk, of John Constable and the Haywain fame, is probably contemporary with Melingriffith (see photograph, courtesy of the National Gallery). It’s suggested that Willie Lott’s cottage and mill in Flatford dates from before the conquest and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Described as ‘probably a small timber building grinding corn after the harvest in the autumn and into the winter using water power from the River Stour’

Early water mills were very inefficient and would be sited beside a river, with a simple mill stream, powering an undershot water wheel. This is where water would run under the mill wheel and drain away at the same level. Flatford used this type of mill wheel

In all probability, early Melingriffith used this form of water power too. So, one can imagine that the mill would have been located very close to the River Taff with a short mill stream and outflow. We know that the River Taff has a series of natural stony cascades so the mill would have to be located just upstream of one of these, so that’s a good start

We also know from the old records that Melingriffith was subject to fire and war damage numerous times over and was often referred to as ‘ruinous’. The first mention of a mill was in 1158

No doubt, over time, Melingriffith underwent design changes to become more efficient. Sometime (probably medieval), Melingriffith was probably rebuilt as an overshot mill. This required a larger mill wheel where the water was introduced at the top of the wheel and discharged away below. This provided far more power, but required water to be introduced, with a 3-4m embankment. This would also require a feeder/race from further upriver, running gently to a millpond. This is the type of mill that we are all most familiar with. This new mill could well have been located further south, and probably not far from Oak Cottage

The sketch below gives an idea of how an overshot mill might have worked. This one would be typical of the later Middle Ages. Two or even three storeys high and set on an embankment so that the water ran over the mill wheel, discharging below, and back into the river. The gears (which would have been made of timber) would drive the mill stones located on the floor above. The unmilled grain would be stored on the top floor (or attic) and drop through wooden chutes, being collected as flour in sacks at the bottom. This technology hasn’t changed for hundreds of years

Farmers from the area would probably thresh their corn at the farm and deliver the sacks to the mill, collecting the milled flour later. Probably, the cost of milling would be an amount of the grain

It’s interesting that the only house in Heol Don in the census of 1841 lists John Cornish as a flour merchant (more on him another time)

So, yet again, lots of questions and no proper answers

The early mill would have required a miller and perhaps his wife. The later, overshot mill would have required more people; a miller and a few mill workers (and probably the miller’s family as well). Sometimes, the miller would live on the premises, or in a cottage adjacent. We don’t know

And what about Griffith himself? There are no records to help us, except scanty reference that the mill might have been named after Ifor Bach’s son Gruffydd

Does anyone have anything else to share?

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