This mill is shown at Balmitchell on General Roy’s Survey of 1755. It is named “Lady Ann’s Mill” on the Slamannan Parish map of 1806 and was “New Mill” from at least 1817, when it appears on Grassom’s map.
At that latter time it was owned by Henry Coubrough of Glen Elrig. However, as a partner of the Falkirk Union Bank which went into liquidation his estate was sequestered and the property sold. This included:
“The MILL of NEWMILL, situated in the said parish of Slamannan, and county of Stirling, with the astricted Multures, Sucken, and Sequels thereto belonging, and Mill Lands and others thereto attached, extending to about 14 acres, Scotch measure. As the sucken is considerable, and there is plentiful supply of water, a good deal of business is done at this mill.”
(Caledonian Mercury 23 June 1817, 3).
The Ordnance Survey Name Book records it as
“A corn mill with a dwelling house attached. The dwelling house is two stories, the mill and offices one, all slated and in very good repair. Property and residence of Mr John Waugh. The machinery of the mill is propelled by water.”
In 1868 it was advertised to let as a corn and barley mill, well supplied with water with “an extensive, long-established business” (Falkirk Herald 30 July 1868). The mill was still operating in 1876 when a precognition was brought against James Gray, the miller there.
The mill was again advertised for let in 1891:
“CORN MILL, with 3 pair Stones; Barley, & c, and about 14 Acres of Land; Dwelling-House and Out-Houses, to Let, with Entry at Martinmas. Apply New Mill, Avonbridge.”
(Falkirk Herald 17 October 1891, 8).
William Gray was still in occupation in 1887 and is listed with his family in the census of 1881:
| FORENAME | SURNAME | POSITION | STATUS | AGE | OCCUPATION | PLACE OF BIRTH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William | GRAY | Head | Married | 36 | Miller & Farmer of 12 Acres | Abercorn |
| Marion | GRAY | Wife | Married | 37 | Miller’s wife | Falkirk |
| William | GRAY | Son | 6 | Slamannan | ||
| James | GRAY | Son | 3 | Slamannan | ||
| George | GRAY | Son | 10 m | Slamannan | ||
| William | ALLAN | Servant | Unmarried | 19 | Miller (Journeyman) | Slamannan |
| Helen | WILLIAMSON | Servant | Unmarried | 13 | General Servant (Domestic) | Polmont |
The Waugh family also owned the New Linn Mill at Avonbridge which operated as a lint mill and in 1898 James Waugh re-opened the old mill just to the north of the bridge at Avonbridge as a meal mill. Immediately adjoining that mill he built two houses for its workers. New Mill continued to be worked by this family till at least the 1920s. Rev. Waugh recollected
“taking oats to the New Mill to be crushed for feeding the horses and cattle, and also oats to be made into oat meal. The mill is now only a heap of stones”
(Waugh 1977, 87).
Today even the heap of stones is covered with grass.
Sites and Monuments Record
| New Mill (Lady Ann’s Mill) | SMR 509 | NS 8899 7319 |
Falkirk Local History Society 