Coalisland Spade Mill

Where is it from?

The spade mill was built in the 1850s and comes from the townland of Derry, near Coalisland in County Tyrone. It was dismantled and moved to the Folk Museum in 1960.

What is the layout of the spade mill?

There are two buildings: the actual spade mill and a building which once housed four finishing shops. This building now houses a large finishing shop and a small exhibition gallery on the history and processes of spade making.

The spade mill consists of a single storey building, mostly built from stone; the back gable wall and chimney are of brick. The mill is water power driven and has two external breast–shot wheels. A massive hammer called a tilt hammer is kept inside the mill. The tilt hammer is tripped by means of a cast iron wheel, driven directly from the larger of the two wheels outside. There are two dams and mill races.

What was produced there?

Between 1800 and 1900 in Ireland, the spade, not the plough, was the most usual tool of cultivation. Ulster spades had welded sockets and spade mills erected to mass produce them. In the 1830s, the Coalisland Spade Mill was producing 230 different types of spades. 

Spades can be either two-sided, with a foot-rest on either side of the shaft, or one-sided, with only one foot-rest. One-sided spades are called loys, or in Irish, laí.

The spade maker was a skilled craftsman able to make up to 120 varieties of spade, in up to five sizes. Differences in spade types were determined by soil conditions, the job at hand, and local traditions. 

Why were spades important?

In Ireland, cultivation ridges have been made using spades for at least 5,000 years. Long trenches were dug and the soil used to make ridges, on which crops were grown. The work was done by hand, using spades, to ensure that the width and height of the ridges were right for the soil, the slope, and the crop. No other system of tillage can match this precision. 

Spades were also important for harvesting turf. A sixth of Ireland's land surface is bog, second only in Europe to Finland. Turf from the bogs has been the main source of fuel in Ireland for hundreds of years. 

Before cutting, the top-sod layer of the bog has to be removed. In parts of Counties Antrim and Tyrone this was done using a special tool, called a flatcher or scrogoghe - in Irish, scrógóg. 

Some turf spades are used to dig down into the peat. Others are used for 'breasting', cutting in from the side to create block-shaped turfs. After cutting, the blocks of turf are spread to dry, and then stacked. 

Who operated the spade mill?

The Coalisland Spade Mill was operated by the Patterson family until the 1950s. The Patterson family were prominent spade mill owners in Ulster. Their family connections with the craft spanned five generations. 

The Coalisland mill ceased production about 1950 and its then owners, J Stephenson and Company, kindly donated it to the museum in early 1960.

How to make a spade

1. A small block of iron is heated in the forge and the central part is beaten out using the spade mill's tilt hammer.
2. The block is folded in half.
3. The ends of the folded block are welded together by heating and hammering.
4. The tilt hammer is used to beat out the metal to the required size and shape for a spade.
5. The blade is trimmed and the thin ends are cut to form straps.
6. The straps and upper part of the blade are opened out and the shaft inserted.
7. Finally, the foot treads are attached.