Saturday, 8 August 2020

Mill Affleck, Auchinleck

Location on the banks on the Lugar Water
Name variations
Mill/miln of Auchinleck /Affleck also Auchinleck/Affleck Mill/Miln

(There was also a mill on the Auchinleck Burn, a corn mill Bridgend mill)

Barony of Auchinleck - Rented Lands *
p218
Mill of Auchinleck, which included Ballanshill, Shawtrees, and Strandhead, was let to George Samson (1705-80), who died 'an old frail man', and to William Samson in 1782 and 1796.

Auchinleck OPRs
George Samson age 75yrs formerly residing in Milne of Auchinleck d 17/8/1780 an old frail man

1788 William Samson miller in Auchinleck Miln and Jean Lenox spouses had a child born 25th  and baptised 30th April called

Horse Tax  1797-98  William Samson, Affleckmiln, 2 horses.

Affleck is  an old form of  Auchinleck. Also   the source of  the  surname - Affleck's was a  major top of  the  range furniture shop, undertakers and  interior decorators  in  Ayr. (  Also  Ben  Affleck  the  actor! )

The History of Auchinleck Village & Parish - Dane Love
p319
Mill Affleck , also known as Mill of Auchinleck or Milne of Auchinleck. Latterly included Weilside. 120 acres in 1921. 134 acres in 2015.
Auchinleck Estate - Donald MacAlexander
1706-           Auchinleck Estate -                 Samson
        -1780   Auchinleck Estate - George Samson (1705-1780)
1795            Auchinleck Estate - William Samson
1774            Auchinleck Estate - George Jamieson
1851-1860   Auchinleck Estate - James Jamieson
1875-1921   Auchinleck Estate - William Hettrick
1921-1928   Auchinleck Estate - William Hettrick
1933-1945   Auchinleck Estate - Hugh Brown Howat (1892-1969)
1945-1969   Hugh Brown Howat (1892-1969)
1969            John Howat Jardine Howat (1939 -     )
2011-2015   Hugh Howat (1964-    )  


The 1851 census for Auchinleck Mill shows James Jamieson 59 farmer of 50 acres employing 1 labourer. He is assisted by his wife Euphemia 57, daughter Agness 17 who is employed at home, son John 30 who is employed on the farm and 1 male farm servant.
The 1861 census shows Euphemia Jamieson in Millaffleck farming 60 acres and employing 1 man and 1 boy. She is assisted by her son John 40, 1 ploughman, 1 male servant and 1 dairymaid. Her grand-daughter Jessie Jamieson 8 is also living there. She died later that month/
A separate 1861 census shows David Jamieson a 46yrs old joiner and his wife Catherine 40 at Millaffleck.
The 1871 census shows Jane Hetrick a 61yrs old widow at Auchinleck Mill. She is farming 75 acres of which 73 are arable employing 1 man, 1 woman and 1 lad. She is assisted by her daughter Isabella 28, son William 26, John Brown her 17yrs old grandson and William Paterson her 11yrs old grandson.
1881 census William Hettrick 36, is listed as a wood merchant and farmer of 75 acres arable.  His sister Jane 40 and three servants live at Mill Affleck farm. They are; Rosanna Arly 45 general domestic, and John Niven 22 and James McCulloch 18 both farm servants.
The 1891 census shows unmarried farmer William Hetrick 41 now farming Mill Affleck assisted by his niece Janie Hetrick who is the housekeeper, nephew John Hetrick 10,  nephew John Brown a 37yrs old unmarried dairyman and another John Brown a 22yrs old cousin who is a ploughman.
In 1901 farmer in Mill Affleck William Hettrick 54 now has a wife his cousin Mary 40 (Kerr Brown). John Brown 31 is still the ploughman and there are 2 farm servants - 1 male and 1 female. They are being visited by unmarried sister Catherine 62, widowed mother-in-law Ann Brown 74 and a nurse Annie Peden 43.

                                                   Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald   6/3/1858


Auchinleck Churchyard Lair Ref: 553
Er Sam Ferguson d 14/5/1882 44 (w Agnes Jamieson 9/2/1908 76), bro-in-law John, Millaffleck d 8/1/1887 66, da Euphemia d 11/7/1897 36 (hus John Wightman d 2/1/1919 74)



1865 Valuation Roll shows Lady Boswell as owner and John Kettrick (sic) as tenant.
1875 shows William Kettrick as tenant.
1925 shows Colonel Boswell as owner and William Kettrick as tenant.  1935 and 1940  same owner but Hugh Howat as tenant.


Millaffleck was once the Mill of Auchinleck. It belonged to the Boswells of Auchinleck House. There were two wheels below the farm, one was a water wheel to to drive the big wheel which was a wood mill. The water was diverted from the Lugar water which flows below the farm. The big wheel is still there. Liz Howat 2021

2020 Kay McMeekin

* The Correspondence of James Boswell with James Bruce and Andrew Gibb,
Overseers of the Auchinleck Estate
Edited by Nellie Pottle Hankins and John Strawhorn
Edinburgh University Press and Yale University Press 1998