Shaping landscapes and industry: linking historic watermill locations to bedrock river knickpoints

Jonell, T. N. , Calton, I. N., Hurst, M. D. , Jones, P. , Lucas, A. R. and Naylor, S. (2023) Shaping landscapes and industry: linking historic watermill locations to bedrock river knickpoints. Scottish Geographical Journal, 139(3-4), pp. 328-345. (doi: 10.1080/14702541.2023.2205853)

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Abstract

Watermills have been an essential source of mechanical power for over two millennia. Their careful siting often took into account local hydrology, topography, and economic demand, attesting to the important place they held in premodern and early modern societies. This paper highlights the significance of Paul Bishop's work on mills over the last 20 years, which revealed that numerous historical watermills along Scottish rivers were closely located near overly steep stretches of river to maximize waterpower and minimize cost. Termed ‘knickpoints’, many of these steep erosional features formed thousands of years ago during and after melting of the British–Irish Ice Sheet. Post-glacial isostatic rebound caused rivers to erode into bedrock at rates set by river catchment size and sediment availability. Although bedrock knickpoints along the Scottish coast are relatively stable over human timescales (<103 years), knickpoints generated by milling in England have been invoked as potential hazards due to their potential to migrate over similar timescales. Bishop's observations on the colocation of knickpoints and watermills encouraged a more comprehensive investigation of the relationship between natural and human systems over the last 250 years and invited re-evaluation of prevailing narratives for the history of water technology and patterns of water-powered industrialization in Britain.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:This work was supported by the Leverhulme Trust, ‘Away from the Water’[grant number RPG-2020-087].
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Naylor, Professor Simon and Jones, Dr Peter and Hurst, Dr Martin and Lucas, Dr Adam and Calton, Iara and Jonell, Dr Tara
Authors: Jonell, T. N., Calton, I. N., Hurst, M. D., Jones, P., Lucas, A. R., and Naylor, S.
College/School:College of Science and Engineering > School of Geographical and Earth Sciences
Journal Name:Scottish Geographical Journal
Publisher:Taylor & Francis
ISSN:1470-2541
ISSN (Online):1751-665X
Published Online:07 May 2023
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2023 The Authors
First Published:First published in Scottish Geographical Journal 139(3-4):328-345
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons license

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Project CodeAward NoProject NamePrincipal InvestigatorFunder's NameFunder RefLead Dept
306960'Away from the water': the first energy transition, British textiles 1770-1890Paul BishopLeverhulme Trust (LEVERHUL)RPG-2020-087GES - Geography