BENHOLM Mill is in an idyllic setting nestling snugly beside the Benholm Burn and is an attraction not to be missed by tourists to the area this summer. But the peace and tranquility which makes the mill so appealing today belies its hustle and bustle of yester year. As you wind your way down the path to the small cluster of buildings at the foot of the brae, try to imagine what the scene would have been like 100 years ago.
Then, there would have been a hive of activity as farmers drove their carts down with grain to be milled before returning to take away the finished product. This routine went on virtually unchanged for many, many years. It is clear from documentary evidence that milling has gone on at Benholm certainly since the late 15th Century when the mill is mentioned in a charter by John Lunday granting the lands and Barony of Benhame to his son Robert, and in the 17th century (at the time of the Cromwellian attack on Dunnottar Castle) grain was aften reported stolen
But the recorded history of Benholm goes back to the 12th century when the family of De Benne or De Benham was granted a charter by William the Lion, King of Scots.
It is, indeed, fortunate that there is so much evidence both documentary and physical available to tell the story of Benholm Mill.
The names of all the millers are known from Archibald Brown in 1696 to the last one, Lindsay Mratson,in 1982. There are remains of both an earlier mill wheel and a round kiln at Benholm. Until recently there was a corner stone marked 1711 still visible. The name of the miller of the day, William Davidson, can still be seen on a lintel. Should ydu be reading this over a coffee and scene in the Benholm cafe then you are seated in the kitchen of the original miller's home!
Benholm Mill has functioned as a working mill for nigh on 800 years serving the needs of its own and a much wider community. But what were those needs?
Until the late 19th Century, cereals provided the bass of the Scottish diet and the mill was a focal point of parish life. The miller was the man who produced the meal for the oatcakes and porridge. He was a key figure in the local economy. In earlier days he was also a farmer and he would have been chosen by his fellow tenants. His most important qualification would be that of honesty!
At Benholm, the mill is operated by an overshot wheel. The water flows to the top of the wheel from the mill pond which is fed from a lade taking, water from the Benholm`Burn. If the water was low, then the mill could also be Powered by a stationary engine or by a tractor. It is remarkable that the mill continued to be operated commercially until as late as 1982 although by that time it had long ceased to be, on its own, a viable economic proposition. Traditional farming methods were long since overtaken by mechanisation the combine harvester, commercial mills and electric kilns are all now commonplace.
Mr Watson, the last miller, died in 1982 and on the initiative of the local community council, Kincardine and Deeside District Council bought the mill from his family.
Since then the mill, which featured in the TV serialisation of "Grassic Gibbons" novel Sunset Song and a musical programme Yehudi Mehuhin, has been restored to working order and the outbuildings renovated.
Although the mill is significant as the only surviving water-powered meal mill in Kincardineshire, its special charm lies in its location within the hamlet of Benholm.
Once you have experienced the working of an old technology, you can then enjoy a stroll up to the lower weir and then across the burn into the Mill Brae. Wood part of which is very ancient and where flora and fauna abound. After some refreshments you can stretch your legs by walking part Of the way In the footsteps of Bonnie Prince Charlie to the kirk, the former school and coaching inn. You will then have been transported back in time to a simpler era. It is interesting to reflect that the historic mill, once so vital but then so obsolete, is now playing so suitable a role in the regeneration of the parish.