Publications
Notes on Watermills and Windmills in Sussex, by Mark Antony Lower, published 1852 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 5, article, pp.267-276) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2090] & The Keep [LIB/500224] & S.A.S. library View Online
The Old Powder Mill, by Eva Bretherton, published 1927 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. I no. 11, article, pp.501-502) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2303][Lib 8326] & The Keep [LIB/500137]
The Old Water Mill at Hellingly, by S.C.M. Contributor(s), published 1929 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. III no. 6, article, p.418) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2307] & The Keep [LIB/500139]
Old Watermills and Windmills, by R. Thurston Hopkins, published 1930 (Philip Allan) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries
Sussex Water Mills, by L. G. Kane, published 1931 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. V no. 8, article, pp.534-537) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2310] & The Keep [LIB/500174]
Old Watermills and Windmills, by R. Thurston Hopkins, published 1938 (Philip Allan) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries
Lost Mills of Ashdown, by Ernest Straker, F.S.A., published 1938 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. XII no. 3, article, pp.203-206) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2317] & The Keep [LIB/500183]
The Restored Mills of Sussex, by Christopher Wenlock, published 1938 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. XII no. 8, article, pp.514-520) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2317] & The Keep [LIB/500183]
Sidlesham Tidal Mill, by H. W. Haynes, published May 1947 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. XI no. 6, note, p.133) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8229][Lib 2210] & The Keep [LIB/500213] & S.A.S. library
Paper-Mills in Sussex, by Alfred H. Shorter, Lecturer in Geography, University College, Exeter, published November 1951 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. XIII no. 8, article, pp.169-174) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8231] & The Keep [LIB/500215] & S.A.S. library
Iping Paper Mill, by W. H. Challen, published May 1952 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. XIII nos. 9 & 10, note, pp.213-214) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8231] & The Keep [LIB/500215] & S.A.S. library
The Story of Gibbons Mill [water mill in Rudgwick], by Paul Adorian, published 1970 (pamphlet, Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 4026]
Ifield Mill, by J. Gibson-Hill, published September 1974 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 14, article, p.59) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
Bishopstone Tidemills, by S. Farrant, published 1975 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 113, shorter notice, pp.199-202) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 6177] & The Keep [LIB/500316] & S.A.S. library
The Excavation of Ardingly Fulling Mill and Forge 1975-6, by Owen Bedwin, published 1976 in The Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology (vol. 10, article, pp.34-64) View Online
Abstract:The remains of a sixteenth- and seventeenth-century forge, and an eighteenth-century fulling mill were excavated. The fulling and forging processes were both water-powered. Two water-channels were found, running approximately parallel, about 9 m. apart. The area between the two channels had been the centre of industrial activity on the site. The forge, of which little survived apart from the anvil base and some wooden foundations, had used wheels in both channels, driving the power-hammer and bellows for the hearths, respectively. Fulling, carried out in a simple T-shaped shed, required one wheel only. The site went out of use c.1750.
Review by C. F. T. [C. F. Tebbutt] in Wealden Iron Research Group Bulletin 11 1977:In 1973 the Mid-Sussex Water Co. gave notice of a plan, later approved, to flood the Shell Brook valley at the site of Ardingly Fulling Mill and Forge, and a rescue excavation was carried out by Dr Owen Bedwin of the Sussex Archaeological Field Unit in advance of the destruction of the site.
Documentary evidence in parish records first refers to the baptism of a child of Robert Potter 'fynar of the hammer' in 1571, and thereafter references go on until 1660. The 1574 list includes Ardingly Forge, as does that of 1664, but it seems to have ceased working by 1717. It seems likely that its source of pig iron was the nearby Strudgate Furnace.
The excavation was not a straightforward one as the fulling mill had been established on the same site, probably in the early 18th century, and was itself likely to have ceased working in the next century. It was clear however that for the forge there were two parallel water channels supplying power, one to the two hearths and one to the hammer, for which the timber (tree-trunk) anvil-base was found. The fulling mill required one channel only, and this had been partly reconstructed during its occupation of the site. Useful comparisons are made with the only other excavated wealden forge site, that at Chingley. (D. W. Crossley, The Bewl Valley Ironworks Kent, Royal Archaeological Institute Monograph (1975) ).
At Chingley one channel supplied power via different wheels for both hammer and chafery hearth, and the other for the finery. At Ardingly both hearths were operated from one channel and the hammer from the other. As at Chingley there was evidence of secondary working, and it appeared that artifacts such as scissors and knives were made at the forge.
The finds were surprisingly numerous, the waterlogged state of much of the site making it favourable for the preservation of leather, and many shoes and parts of shoes were recovered. Clay pipes were also abundant. These are now proving an important dating item in post-Medieval excavations.
Documentary evidence in parish records first refers to the baptism of a child of Robert Potter 'fynar of the hammer' in 1571, and thereafter references go on until 1660. The 1574 list includes Ardingly Forge, as does that of 1664, but it seems to have ceased working by 1717. It seems likely that its source of pig iron was the nearby Strudgate Furnace.
The excavation was not a straightforward one as the fulling mill had been established on the same site, probably in the early 18th century, and was itself likely to have ceased working in the next century. It was clear however that for the forge there were two parallel water channels supplying power, one to the two hearths and one to the hammer, for which the timber (tree-trunk) anvil-base was found. The fulling mill required one channel only, and this had been partly reconstructed during its occupation of the site. Useful comparisons are made with the only other excavated wealden forge site, that at Chingley. (D. W. Crossley, The Bewl Valley Ironworks Kent, Royal Archaeological Institute Monograph (1975) ).
At Chingley one channel supplied power via different wheels for both hammer and chafery hearth, and the other for the finery. At Ardingly both hearths were operated from one channel and the hammer from the other. As at Chingley there was evidence of secondary working, and it appeared that artifacts such as scissors and knives were made at the forge.
The finds were surprisingly numerous, the waterlogged state of much of the site making it favourable for the preservation of leather, and many shoes and parts of shoes were recovered. Clay pipes were also abundant. These are now proving an important dating item in post-Medieval excavations.
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.
Restoration of the Old Watermill (Park Mill) at Batemans, Burwash, by A. J. Haselfoot, published 1976 in Sussex Industrial History (No. 7, article, pp.13-20) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16389/7] & The Keep [LIB/506524] Download PDF
Abstract:Park Mill, Burwash, was built about 1750 with two pairs of stones and was operated continuously until 1902. At this date the mill was shut down by Rudyard Kipling who had bought the Batemans Estate, the water wheel was removed and a small water turbine and generator was installed to light the main house. The history of the mill will not be enlarged on here as it is well described in another article in this journal).
The mill as originally built was only one bay wide, about 10' x 20' floor area, and was of two storeys with a pitched roof, with the ridge running East-West, the bin floor being in the roof space. It was driven by a 10' diameter overshot wheel, probably 5' wide, and there was no auxiliary drive or auxiliary machinery, the sack hoist being hand-operated. The building was probably enlarged to its present size in the 1830s when the third pair of stones was installed (the date 1836 is cut in the plaster on the rim of the runner stone). The extension was also of two floors with a pitched roof but the ridge in this case runs North-South and extends over the adjoining mill-cottage which may have been built at the same time or rather earlier. On the cover is a drawing of the East side of the mill, made in 1929, which shows what was presumably the original door to the mill. A wire-machine or dresser (for cleaning and grading the meal) and a smutter (for cleaning the grain) were apparently installed about this time as well as a mechanical drive to the sack hoist, a small crown wheel being fitted below the great spur wheel.
The mill as originally built was only one bay wide, about 10' x 20' floor area, and was of two storeys with a pitched roof, with the ridge running East-West, the bin floor being in the roof space. It was driven by a 10' diameter overshot wheel, probably 5' wide, and there was no auxiliary drive or auxiliary machinery, the sack hoist being hand-operated. The building was probably enlarged to its present size in the 1830s when the third pair of stones was installed (the date 1836 is cut in the plaster on the rim of the runner stone). The extension was also of two floors with a pitched roof but the ridge in this case runs North-South and extends over the adjoining mill-cottage which may have been built at the same time or rather earlier. On the cover is a drawing of the East side of the mill, made in 1929, which shows what was presumably the original door to the mill. A wire-machine or dresser (for cleaning and grading the meal) and a smutter (for cleaning the grain) were apparently installed about this time as well as a mechanical drive to the sack hoist, a small crown wheel being fitted below the great spur wheel.
Ifield Mill: Its Owners and Occupiers, by Patricia Bracher, published December 1976 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 2 no. 7, article, pp.222-227) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7966] & The Keep [LIB/501254] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.
Excavations 1977: Ifield Water Mill, by J. Gibson-Hill, published August 1977 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 22, article, pp.119-120, ISSN: 0307-2568) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
Reconstruction of Ifield Mill. Part I - Historical Background, by J. Gibson-Hill and E. W. Henbery, published 1978 in Sussex Industrial History (No. 8, article, pp.12-16) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16389/8] & The Keep [LIB/506525] Download PDF
The Mills at Fishbourne, by R. Blakeney, published December 1978 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 26, article, pp.162-166, ISSN: 0307-2568) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
Reconstruction of Ifield Mill. Part II - Restoration, by J. Gibson-Hill and E. W. Henbery, published 1979 in Sussex Industrial History (No. 9, article, pp.2-7) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506525] Download PDF
Abstract:Part 1, being the historical account of Ifield Mill and its environment, was detailed in Sussex Industrial History Vol. 8 (1978) and covered the period from the earliest known references to the site until the demise of Ifield as a working mill about 1927. The building stood virtually unused during the succeeding years, but retained much of its machinery until the early 1950's.
In 1973, Crawley Borough Council started to acquire land in the Broadfield vale for housing development and Ifield Mill with the related house and cottage were purchased as part of a large scheme. It was at this time that the Crawley and Mid-Sussex Archaeological Group, as part of their campaign to preserve historic buildings and archaeological sites, made a formal approach to the Council for permission to restore the building. A feasibility study carried out during 1974, estimated the cost of repairing the roof, exterior walls, and rebuilding the wheel at approximately £6000.
In June 1974, permission was given by the Council for the group to undertake the restoration, using volunteer labour and raising its own finances. No public funds were to be available and the Ifield Mill Project, as it was to be known, was to be self-financed. The previous owner, Mr. G. Wood, had wanted to restore the mill but commercial costs were prohibitive. However, now it was apparent that a determined group of volunteers were both willing and capable of undertaking this work, he was able to realise his ambitions for the site by providing the necessary financial backing.
A fund to be administered by Crawley Borough Council was established in 1974 with an initial donation of £10,000; subsequently Mr. Wood contributed a further £;4000. This generous gift now permitted a more comprehensive plan than originally envisaged and involved renewing all floors, providing suitable stairways, reboarding the internal walls and refitting machinery. Consideration had been given from the outset to the future use of the building when restored; eventually it was decided that the mill should become the focal point of a linear recreational space encompassing the pond area. Initially it would serve as a temporary home for the town's first Museum, and illustrate a partially working mill.
In 1973, Crawley Borough Council started to acquire land in the Broadfield vale for housing development and Ifield Mill with the related house and cottage were purchased as part of a large scheme. It was at this time that the Crawley and Mid-Sussex Archaeological Group, as part of their campaign to preserve historic buildings and archaeological sites, made a formal approach to the Council for permission to restore the building. A feasibility study carried out during 1974, estimated the cost of repairing the roof, exterior walls, and rebuilding the wheel at approximately £6000.
In June 1974, permission was given by the Council for the group to undertake the restoration, using volunteer labour and raising its own finances. No public funds were to be available and the Ifield Mill Project, as it was to be known, was to be self-financed. The previous owner, Mr. G. Wood, had wanted to restore the mill but commercial costs were prohibitive. However, now it was apparent that a determined group of volunteers were both willing and capable of undertaking this work, he was able to realise his ambitions for the site by providing the necessary financial backing.
A fund to be administered by Crawley Borough Council was established in 1974 with an initial donation of £10,000; subsequently Mr. Wood contributed a further £;4000. This generous gift now permitted a more comprehensive plan than originally envisaged and involved renewing all floors, providing suitable stairways, reboarding the internal walls and refitting machinery. Consideration had been given from the outset to the future use of the building when restored; eventually it was decided that the mill should become the focal point of a linear recreational space encompassing the pond area. Initially it would serve as a temporary home for the town's first Museum, and illustrate a partially working mill.
The Excavation of Batsford Mill, Warbleton, East Sussex, 1978, by Owen Bedwin, published 1980 in Medieval Archaeology (vol. 24, article, pp.187-201) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/508907] View Online
Horsebridge Watermill, by E. W. Holden, published 1980 in Sussex Industrial History (No. 10, article, pp.27-30) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506525] Download PDF
Abstract:In December 1965 excavations by JCB adjacent to and roughly parallel with the south-east side of McDougall's mill building at Horsebridge, in the parish of Hellingly, were in progress when a large piece of buried timber was encountered. This was lifted in one piece and placed on its side close to a nearby fence. The wet clay subsoil being unstable the trench was quickly refilled. From information given by the mill foreman the timber when found was lying with the trough uppermost at a depth of about 6½ feet from the surface (which would be at about the same level as the present mill pond), but whether this was the highest or lowest part of the timber - a matter of some 2½ ft - could not be determined.
Thomas Durrant, Miller, of Merstham (Surrey) and Ifield (Sussex), by Paul W. Sowan, published 1981 in Sussex Industrial History (No. 11, article, pp.22-24) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506525] Download PDF
Abstract:A Thomas Durrant appears to have purchased the watermill at Ifield for £1,800 in 1817. The mill was demolished and re-erected at about the same time, but it is not clear if the purchase price was for the mill as re-built, or if the re-construction was undertaken at additional expense after purchase. A Thomas Watkins Durrant is shown as master miller in the 1851 census for Ifield as having been born in Merstham. How Thomas Durrant found the considerable sum of money required for the purchase of Ifield Mill has been something of a puzzle. Litigation between one Thomas Durrant, miller, of Merstham and Messrs. Jolliffe and Banks, who operated an underground stone quarry in that parish, in 1810, reportedly led to Durrant being awarded damages of £2,200 as compensation for the accidental diversion of his water supply. However, although such a sum readily explains this or a related Durrant's ability to purchase the mill at Ifield, it is puzzling that so great a sum of money for damages is not mentioned by contemporary sources reporting the cause of the interruption of the water. Clearly, there is a case for closer enquiry into the circumstances.
Langney Tidal Mill near Eastbourne, by Lawrence Stevens, published April 1981 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 33, article, pp.233-234, ISSN: 0307-2568) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
Chailey Windmill, c.1590-1865, by Roy Hoather, published June 1982 in Sussex Genealogist and Family Historian (vol. 4 no. 1, article, pp.14-23) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8893] & The Keep [LIB/501190] & CD SXGS from S.F.H.G.
Storrington's Vanished Mills, by Joan Ham, published December 1982 in Sussex Genealogist and Family Historian (vol. 4 no. 3, article, pp.92-96) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8893] & The Keep [LIB/501190] & CD SXGS from S.F.H.G.
Childhood Memories of Polegate Wind and Water Mills, by Bertha Terry, published 1985 (12 pp., published by the author) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/507958] & East Sussex Libraries
Jesse Pumphrey, Millwright, by Martin Brunnarius, published 1987 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 17, article, pp.27-36, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16389/17] & The Keep [LIB/506526] Download PDF
The following is extracted from the day-to-day accounts of a journeyman millwright who lived and worked in and around Lewes during the first half of the nineteenth century. This is fascinating in its way, for, although it may have seemed trivia at the time, this simple record gives us today an insight into his involvement with farmers, trades people and millwrights as well as forming many links great and small in local history.
Water-wheel Driven Beam Pump at Bignor Park, by R. M. Palmer and A. E. Baxter, published 1989 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 19, article, pp.11-21, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506526] Download PDF
Abstract:It was a tantalisingly brief mention of Bignor Park in the S.I.H. article on the Petworth Water Supply that set the first-named author on what proved to be a long and at times exhausting trail of discovery and detection. Armed with the statement that a beam pump similar to that at Coultershaw existed in Bignor Park, he set out with the, almost voluntary, aid of some S.I.A.S. colleagues to track it down. This article relates their endeavours to piece together the design and operation of the pump installation.
The article starts by tracing the history of Bignor Park and includes some comments on water supply to country houses. This is followed by a description of the excavation and recording carried out on site. The results are then set out, leading to a theoretical reconstruction of the layout and operation of the pump. Finally, the archival evidence available on the history of the pump is considered and some attempt made to date its origin.
Bignor Park is in West Sussex, situated just to the north of the Downs near Petworth and lies in the Gault Clay strip between the Upper and Lower Greensands. Through the Park runs a stream fed by springs which gush out from the foot of the Downs above Bignor Mill. By this stream was built the beam pump (GR 993153) to supply water to Bignor House.
The article starts by tracing the history of Bignor Park and includes some comments on water supply to country houses. This is followed by a description of the excavation and recording carried out on site. The results are then set out, leading to a theoretical reconstruction of the layout and operation of the pump. Finally, the archival evidence available on the history of the pump is considered and some attempt made to date its origin.
Bignor Park is in West Sussex, situated just to the north of the Downs near Petworth and lies in the Gault Clay strip between the Upper and Lower Greensands. Through the Park runs a stream fed by springs which gush out from the foot of the Downs above Bignor Mill. By this stream was built the beam pump (GR 993153) to supply water to Bignor House.
Old Forge, Wadhurst, by R. Martin, published 1989 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 19, article, pp.37-40, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506526] Download PDF
Abstract:James Bassett started his business as a general smith in the 1880s and moved in about 1900 to the present site in Mayfield Lane, Durgates in the Parish of Wadhurst, map reference TQ 630322. Business had by then increased and was expanded to include carriage building and the buildings which still exist were then erected.
These comprise a single storey range containing two forges set back from the road and a two storied block to the north at right angles to the road with its front edge on the road line. Construction generally is of softwood studded walls covered with painted weather-boarding externally with continuous ranges of windows and with corrugated sheet steel roofs. The rear wall of the forges is in 215 mm thick brickwork. A later single storey extension to the rear contains remains of under-floor line shafting by which power from an electric motor was transferred to woodworking machinery. A brick-built cottage adjacent to the forge to the south was built in 1906 and is still occupied by the grandson of the founder.
These comprise a single storey range containing two forges set back from the road and a two storied block to the north at right angles to the road with its front edge on the road line. Construction generally is of softwood studded walls covered with painted weather-boarding externally with continuous ranges of windows and with corrugated sheet steel roofs. The rear wall of the forges is in 215 mm thick brickwork. A later single storey extension to the rear contains remains of under-floor line shafting by which power from an electric motor was transferred to woodworking machinery. A brick-built cottage adjacent to the forge to the south was built in 1906 and is still occupied by the grandson of the founder.
George Packham, Miller Extraordinary, by Maurice Packham, published September 1989 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 8 no. 7, article, pp.291-294) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10736] & The Keep [LIB/501260] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.
Preview:George Packham (1792-1872), son of John Packham of Shortbridge, near Fletching, was educated at Horsted Keynes Charity School and apprenticed to William Sudds of the Cliff, Lewes to become a millwright. In 1823 he went to live in France and became a friend to King Louis Philippe. Article covers the years 1708 - 1872 in France and Sussex.
William Cooper - Millwright and Engineer (1825-76), by D. H. Cox, published 1990 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 20, article, pp.2-15, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506526] Download PDF
Abstract:Windmills and watermills have been places of interest and admiration by many for a very long time. It is perhaps thanks to the landscape painter in particular that we have a record of many mills now destroyed or altered beyond recognition. However, not too much thought has been given to the men who created and improved the mills and the machinery that they contain. The name 'millwright' is well known but few details exist of their work. We can see the results of their labours but who did what and at which mill?
William Cooper was one of those millwrights. He came to Henfield in Sussex in 1854 with his wife and three children to work with James Neal in his millwright's business. .After a short partnership with Neal, W. Cooper carried on the business on his own until his death in 1876. His wife then continued the business until about 1876, with the High Street premises being sold in 1905. The site remained in much the same condition for a further 60 years or so being used in part for storage purposes. The buildings were eventually demolished in 1967 and nothing remains apart from the name which is preserved In the road leading to the Village Hall now called 'Coopers Way'.
William Cooper was one of those millwrights. He came to Henfield in Sussex in 1854 with his wife and three children to work with James Neal in his millwright's business. .After a short partnership with Neal, W. Cooper carried on the business on his own until his death in 1876. His wife then continued the business until about 1876, with the High Street premises being sold in 1905. The site remained in much the same condition for a further 60 years or so being used in part for storage purposes. The buildings were eventually demolished in 1967 and nothing remains apart from the name which is preserved In the road leading to the Village Hall now called 'Coopers Way'.
A Miller's Daughter [Coultershaw Mill], by Phyllis Catt, published 1992 (pamphlet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 11872] & West Sussex Libraries
A Bibliography of Sussex Mills, by D. Patterson and D. H. Cox, published 1992 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 22, article, pp.14-20, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506526] Download PDF
Abstract:The original list was compiled by D. Datteron and issued as North West Mills Group Circular No. 6.
Since then the list has been extended with the assistance of D. H. Cox and the committee of the Sussex Mills Group
Since then the list has been extended with the assistance of D. H. Cox and the committee of the Sussex Mills Group
Mills of Forest Row, by M. F. Tighe, published 1993 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 23, article, pp.6-12, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506527] Download PDF
Abstract:Forest Row Is a Victorian creation. Before this the present parish lay within East Grinstead, and was covered by a number of manors, of which Brambletye and Maresfield were the most important. Today there is virtually no visible evidence of the five mill sites here Identified. This paper endeavours to set out what can be established of their past.
- Pock Hill Windmill
- Cluttons Hill Windmill, Ashurst Wood
- Brambletye Mills
- Brambletye Forge
- Tablehurst
Mills of Forest Row: additional notes, by M. J. Leppard, published 1994 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 24, article, pp.23-24, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16389/24] & The Keep [LIB/506527] Download PDF
Abstract:A number of East Grinstead parish records in the West Sussex County Record Office and some published material permit some additions and a few corrections to Mr. Tighe's article 'The Mills of Forest Row' in Sussex Industrial History No. 23 (1993).
The Miller's Tale: Or How to find a missing link, by Audrey Hememsley, published March 1994 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 11 no. 1, article, pp.7-9) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14878] & The Keep [LIB/501263] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.
Preview:Charles Saunders (1798-1881), miller of Oving, married Rebecca Townsend 21 Nov 1821 and had three sons, Charles, William and John.
Bygone Corn Mills in the Horsham area, by George H. W. Coomber, published 1996 (Horsham Museum Society) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 13337] & Horsham Museum Society
Bishopstone Tide Mills, Newhaven and its environs, by Peter Longstaff-Tyrrell, published 1996 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 26, article, pp.20-25, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506527] Download PDF
Abstract:The milling of grain using natural power sources has focused on the windmill and water mills operated by the flow of rivers and streams. A certain romantic nostalgia has developed around buildings that survive and the equipment used. Coastal mills, operated by the ebb and flow of the tide, though fewer in number, played an important role in the milling industry however. The damage from pollution caused by the generation of power from carboniferous energy sources is now realised, and a greater appreciation of the value of natural sources of power has resulted, leading to the construction of wind towers in recent years to generate electricity, and the consideration of various schemes to harness tidal power.
Medieval Water Mills, by Don Cox, published 1996 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 26, article, pp.38-39, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506527] Download PDF
Abstract:For many years I had thought that there must be information on water mills in the many manorial records in the record offices. I have extracted references to mills from the Sussex section of the Domesday Book translated by John Morris and published by Phillimore in 1976 which shows that there were many mills in Sussex in 1086.
Mills of the Eastbourne Borough Council Area, by Lawrence Stevens, published 1997 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 27, article, pp.22-29, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506527] Download PDF
Abstract:The number of mills in the Eastbourne Borough Council area should be of no surprise when we consider the community's dependence on an agrarian economy since Saxon times and the extensive prehistoric evidence of field systems and associated finds of grain storage pits, quern fragments and grain-drying ovens. A glance at the Eastbourne Tithe Map of 1842 shows field after field of arable and pasture-land and a handful of farms in what was good corn country and also by then, extensive sheep pasture. In 1842, the parish covered slightly more than 4,000 acres, whereas modern Eastbourne covers nearly 6,500 acres, having expanded into the parishes of Eastdean, Jevington, Willingdon and Westham during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
In 1980, a list of 'Mills of the Eastbourne Borough Council Area' (Stevens 1980) was compiled in which an attempt was made to catalogue the salient facts of each mill, to clarify its position and record sufficient information so that confusion might be avoided.
In 1980, a list of 'Mills of the Eastbourne Borough Council Area' (Stevens 1980) was compiled in which an attempt was made to catalogue the salient facts of each mill, to clarify its position and record sufficient information so that confusion might be avoided.
The Mill's Tale, by Janet Pennington and Joyce Sleight, published 1997 in Sussex Past & Present (no. 81, article, p.10) accessible at: S.A.S. library
A reconstruction of a Wealden conversion forge and boring mill, by R. G. Houghton, published 1997 in Wealden Iron Research Group (Second Series No. 17, article, pp.23-40, ISSN: 0266-4402) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16400] & The Keep [LIB/506564] Download PDF
Abstract:To many people, mention of the Wealden iron industry conjures up a picture of a blast furnace by its pond, busily casting the cannon which, according to Kipling, 'smote King Philip's fleet'. However, there were two stages in the production of iron. The first, at the furnace, was production of pig iron and castings such as cannon and firebacks. The second was less well publicised but was no less important. At the conversion forge, sows or pigs of cast iron were decarburized and hammered, to produce malleable wrought iron for the blacksmith. Some time ago, I produced a cut-away drawing of a furnace. Since then it has several times been suggested that a companion drawing of the forge would complete the picture. In many ways it has proved more difficult than the first.
Sussex Watermills, by Frank Gregory and Ron Martin, published January 1997 (120 pp., Seaford: S. B. Publications, ISBN-10: 1857701348 & ISBN-13: 9781857701340) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Abstract:61 skilfully executed pen-and-ink sketches of watermills in Sussex which Frank Gregory produced in 1936 when the cost of photographic materials forced him to resort to less expensive means of recording mills.
Watermills of Sussex, Vol I East Sussex, by Derek Stidder and Colin Smith, published April 1997 (160 pp., Baron Birch, ISBN-10: 0860235696 & ISBN-13: 9780860235699) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/502207] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Wind, Water, Tide and Steam Mills, by Don Cox, published 1 January 1999 in An Historical Atlas of Sussex (pp.108-109, 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
Watermills of Sussex, Vol 2 West Sussex, by Derek Stidder and Colin Smith, published 5 February 2001 (160 pp., Horley: Stidder and Smith, ISBN-10: 0954007107 & ISBN-13: 9780954007102) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15137] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Ifield Steam Mill, Crawley, by Ron Martin, published 2002 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 32, article, pp.30-38, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506530] Download PDF
Abstract:The building is located off Rusper Road, at the rear of the car park serving the village green. The original access via Mill Lane has now been blocked off. The mill is located at TQ 2504 3787. The former windmill was originally located a few yards to the east of the Steam Mill. For the purposes of description the front of the mill is deemed to face due east. Room numbers have been shown on the plan using the prefix "G" for ground and "F" for first floor rooms respectively. The mill, having been recently vandalised, many of the vulnerable doors and windows have been blocked or boarded up and the former have been shown on the drawings as extant in August 2000, but cross-hatched. The mill had been recently partly converted into a craft centre but these alteration have been largely ignored in this survey.
Former Pug Mill, London Road, Burgess Hill, by Ron Martin, published 2002 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 32, article, pp.39-40, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506530] Download PDF
Abstract:The site of the pug mill is in the car park area at the rear of Stockwell Court in London Road, Burgess Hill, at TQ 3070 1509 and it was used prior to its demolition as a store.
Hammond Family Connection with Sussex Mills, by Robin Jones, published 2004 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 34, article, pp.19-25, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506532] Download PDF
Abstract:This article is the result correspondence from Mrs. Josephine Potten and her son Ray of Hove, and from Miss E. Mary Selina Hammond of St Albans who are members of the Sussex Industrial Archaeology Society, and are also related to Charles Edwin Hammond who on 7 May 1873 took out a patent for a centrifugal governing mechanism to control the speed of the sweeps of a windmill, one example being incorporated in the mill at Windmill Hill. As this information was too comprehensive for the Newsletter, I have put together the following article from the correspondence received and associated documentation.
Lavington Park (Seaford College) - Pump House, by Ron Martin, published 2007 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 37, article, pp.7-15, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506535] Download PDF
Abstract:Lavington Park is situated to the west of the A285 Petworth to Chichester road immediately to the south-west of Duncton village. It is located entirely within the parish of East Lavington. The house was originally built in 1589 by Giles Garton but it was rebuilt in 1790-94. The estate had various owners and in 1936 was owned by the Wallace family, Mrs, Wallace being the daughter of Sir Edwin Lutyens. During WWII it served as a commando HQ and in 1946 was bought by Rev. C. E. Johnson for the present owners, Seaford College.
Sussex Mills: Forward, by Peter Hill, published 2009 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 39, article, p.2, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16389/39] Download PDF
Abstract:It was in 1998 that the feasibility of the formation of a group of enthusiasts entirely devoted to the study, restoration and preservation of the mills of Sussex was first mooted. Now, as we approach the 21st anniversary of the formation of that Group, the invitation to write a foreword for this Journal gives me an opportunity to acknowledge the successes and achievements that have been made.
Isfield Water Mills, by Bob Bonnett, published 2009 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 39, article, pp.22-27, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16389/39] Download PDF
Abstract:Isfield is first mentioned in Domesday as Sifelle, although, a settlement was here before the Romans built their road from London to Lewes early in the second century. Perhaps a new hamlet grew at the place where the road crossed the River Ouse. The church is twelfth century and Isfield Place c.1600; therefore, with the Rivers Ouse and the Uck flowing through the parish, it is most probable that a corn mill was built here in the Middle Ages. A fulling mill is recorded in Isfield in 1558 (Sussex Archaeological Collections 116 (1978) 41).
Sources for Sussex Mills, Millers and Millwright Research, by Bob Bonnett, published 2011 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 41, article, pp.15-23, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16389/41] & The Keep [LIB/506538] Download PDF
Abstract:Whilst trawling through the Sussex Record Society year books and other archive records for material for a future book on the mills in the Uckfield area, facts were discovered which do not directly relate to Uckfield, but can be of use to others interested in the history of mills in Sussex. I felt it worthwhile, therefore, to list what was found. This is not in any way a definitive list and much, much more can be found in the East and West Sussex Record Offices, the Mill Archive and elsewhere.
Mill-related information in the Manuscripts of the Newnham & Shelley Families, late of Maresfield Park, Maresfield, East Sussex, held by the East Sussex Record Office.
Mill-related information in the Manuscripts of the Newnham & Shelley Families, late of Maresfield Park, Maresfield, East Sussex, held by the East Sussex Record Office.
Tide Mills of Sussex, by Alex Vincent, published 2013 (published by the author, ISBN-10: 1989753086 & ISBN-13: 9781989753088) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries
Limited edition of 600. Contains a gazetteer of 18 tide mills that are or were in Sussex. Include the OS grid reference, a brief history of each mill and photographs.
Fulling Mills of Sussex, by Alex Vincent, published 2014 (20 pp., published by the author, ISBN-13: 9781989753101) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries
This book is about the fulling mills, which once existed in Sussex. There are only a few still standing today and in use for some other function such as dwellings. All the others are gone either in ruins, no visible remains above ground or just the millpond still survives.
Bygone Corn Mills in the Horsham area, by George Coomber, published 1 June 2014 (revised edition, 144 pp., Horsham Museum Society, ISBN-10: 190248455X & ISBN-13: 9781902484556) accessible at: Horsham Museum Society & West Sussex Libraries