Publications
History of Park Mill, Burwash, by M. Beswick, published 1976 in Sussex Industrial History (No. 7, article, pp.7-13) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16389/7] & The Keep [LIB/506524] Download PDF
Abstract:An example of a small country watermill.
Park Mill is only one of hundreds of its kind which existed all over England from medieval times until 100 years ago or less, but its history is set down here because it probably typifies in broad outline that of many other water-driven cornmills. The changes in its fortunes fit into a pattern, closely related to variations in local agricultural and economic conditions and the consequent fluctuations both in the amount of corn to be ground and the number of mouths to be fed in the locality.
In this connection, the large number of other cornmills which existed at one time in the district must be noted. Park Mill itself stands on the south bank of the river Dudwell to the south-west of Burwash village (TQ 671 236). Less than half a mile downstream is Dudwell Mill (TQ 677 238) and about a mile upstream is Willingford (TQ 655 226) where in 1610 there were two mills operating at the same time. Cox's Mill (TQ 653 203), on a right bank tributary of the Dudwell, is also in the parish of Burwash and there was at least one windmill on the ridge on which the village stands. In addition, there may have been a mill, or mills, in the valley of the Rather which forms the parish boundary to the north.
Burwash is known to have been a place of some importance during the Middle Ages. It was granted a market in 1252 and so would have had a substantial population of tradesmen and craftsmen as well as yeoman farmers and peasants. The population increased further in the sixteenth century with the growth of the Wealden iron industry, as a number of furnaces and forges were located in the Burwash area. It seems probable, therefore, that if there was ever a time when all the cornmills were operating simultaneously, it would have been in the 1500s. Indeed the immediate predecessor of Park Mill may well have been built at about this time.
Park Mill is only one of hundreds of its kind which existed all over England from medieval times until 100 years ago or less, but its history is set down here because it probably typifies in broad outline that of many other water-driven cornmills. The changes in its fortunes fit into a pattern, closely related to variations in local agricultural and economic conditions and the consequent fluctuations both in the amount of corn to be ground and the number of mouths to be fed in the locality.
In this connection, the large number of other cornmills which existed at one time in the district must be noted. Park Mill itself stands on the south bank of the river Dudwell to the south-west of Burwash village (TQ 671 236). Less than half a mile downstream is Dudwell Mill (TQ 677 238) and about a mile upstream is Willingford (TQ 655 226) where in 1610 there were two mills operating at the same time. Cox's Mill (TQ 653 203), on a right bank tributary of the Dudwell, is also in the parish of Burwash and there was at least one windmill on the ridge on which the village stands. In addition, there may have been a mill, or mills, in the valley of the Rather which forms the parish boundary to the north.
Burwash is known to have been a place of some importance during the Middle Ages. It was granted a market in 1252 and so would have had a substantial population of tradesmen and craftsmen as well as yeoman farmers and peasants. The population increased further in the sixteenth century with the growth of the Wealden iron industry, as a number of furnaces and forges were located in the Burwash area. It seems probable, therefore, that if there was ever a time when all the cornmills were operating simultaneously, it would have been in the 1500s. Indeed the immediate predecessor of Park Mill may well have been built at about this time.
From Ox-cart to Steam Engine, by M. Beswick, published 1979 in Sussex Industrial History (No. 9, article, pp.23-27) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506525] Download PDF
Abstract:In the summer of 1978 a member of the Society, Mr. H. W. Nightingale of Swanborough, discovered that a number of old tools including a woodworking lathe, were still in existence in the wheelwright's shop above the forge of C. Dean & Son at Rodmell. A visit was arranged, in the course of which we were shown two old ledgers which had been preserved, and Mr. Frank Dean, the present owner, kindly allowed me to borrow these for more detailed study.
They cover a period of five years from 1878 to 1883 and embrace a remarkably wide range of activities, as the wheelwright undertook not only the making of waggons and carts and repairs to these and other agricultural implements, but also the erection of farm buildings, gates and fences, domestic carpentry, house-painting, brick-laying and plumbing. In the winter of 1881 he even sent men to remove snow from the gutters of houses and farm buildings and, on one occasion, arranged for chimneys to be swept. He also repaired the fabric and furniture of the local churches and schools and made coffins and acted as undertaker.
They cover a period of five years from 1878 to 1883 and embrace a remarkably wide range of activities, as the wheelwright undertook not only the making of waggons and carts and repairs to these and other agricultural implements, but also the erection of farm buildings, gates and fences, domestic carpentry, house-painting, brick-laying and plumbing. In the winter of 1881 he even sent men to remove snow from the gutters of houses and farm buildings and, on one occasion, arranged for chimneys to be swept. He also repaired the fabric and furniture of the local churches and schools and made coffins and acted as undertaker.
Bricks & Tiles: A Village Industry, by M. Beswick, published 1980 (Warbleton and District History Group) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/503072]
Brick and Tilemaking on the Dicker in East Sussex, by M. Beswick, published 1983 in Sussex Industrial History (No. 13, article, pp.2-10) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506525] Download PDF
Abstract:In the 18th and 19th centuries the manufacture of bricks and tiles expanded throughout Sussex, but on the Dicker Common, in the parishes of Chiddingly and Hellingly, this expansion amounted almost to an explosion. To discover the reason for this, two factors of particular importance must be considered: firstly, the suitability of the sub-soil, the Weald clay, and secondly, the fact that the area, being waste land, was not under cultivation and was therefore available for exploitation when the demand arose.
Leather & Cloth: two rural trades, by M. Beswick, published 1985 (Warbleton and District History Group) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/503062]
Bricks for the Martello Towers in Sussex, by Molly Beswick, published 1987 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 17, article, pp.20-27, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16389/17] & The Keep [LIB/506526] Download PDF
Abstract:The story of the building of the Martello towers as coastal defences during the Napoleonic Wars has been told elsewhere. The purpose of this article is to determine how the vast quantities of bricks required for their construction were assembled in the short space of time available.
Bricks for the Martello Towers - further details, by M. Beswick, published 1989 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 19, article, pp.36-37, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506526] Download PDF
Abstract:Since the publication in Sussex Industrial History No. 17 of the article 'Bricks for the Martello Towers in Sussex', further information has come to light on the exact location of some of the brickfields. This is contained in a military map entitled 'Sketch of the Coast from Eastbourne to Hastings' - scale 1 mile to an inch. It was enclosed with a letter of 2 June 1805 from Brig-Gen. Twiss, the Commanding Engineer of the Southern Division who was then in Hastings, to R.H. Crow of the Board of Ordnance in London. On the map are marked the sites of the Martello towers then under construction and the location of 60 twenty-four pounder guns in position at that date. Also marked, by letters, are the sites of five of the brickfields which were supplying materials for the building of the towers.
Brickmaking in Sussex: A History and Gazetteer, by M. Beswick, published 1993 (246 pp., Midhurst: Middleton Press, ISBN-10: 1873793197 & ISBN-13: 9781873793190) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 12031] & The Keep [LIB/502213][Lib/504686][Lib/506763] & British Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Abstract:Bricks and tiles were first made in Sussex nearly 2,000 years ago and the industry still plays a significant part in the economy of both East and West Sussex. The story of its development and of the men who laboured in the brickyards is told in detail and is illustrated with maps, drawings and photographs. The gazetteer contains entries for over 750 known brickyard sites.
Cornmills in and around Warbleton, by Molly Beswick, published 1997 (booklet, 52 pp., Warbleton and District History Group) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 17464] & The Keep [LIB/503063]
Brick, Tile and Pottery Manufacture, by Molly Beswick, published 1 January 1999 in An Historical Atlas of Sussex (pp.106-107, Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd, ISBN-10: 1860771122 & ISBN-13: 9781860771125) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14026][Lib 18777] & The Keep [LIB/501686][LIB/508903] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Ironworking in Warbleton, by M. Beswick, published 2003 (Warbleton and District History Group) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/503064]
On the Edge: The Story of Punnetts Town, by M. Beswick, published 2006 (44 pp.) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/503007] & East Sussex Libraries