Plural of cauld, a Scottish or Northern English term for a low dam or weir built across a river to raise water level for mills or navigation.
From Middle English and Old Norse origins, related to Scandinavian words for barrier or dam (Norwegian 'kald'). The word reflects regional watermill terminology in Britain, particularly in Scotland where such structures were common.
Caulds were engineering solutions to a real problem: how do you get enough water pressure to turn a mill wheel? Scottish and Northern English communities built thousands of these, and some still exist today—hidden pieces of medieval technology right in modern rivers.
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