Monument record 142/1 - The Old Town Mill

{1} Brackley Mill (Corn). Watermill located to the east of the town. No longer in existence, the area is now pasture.

{2} A mill was recorded in the Halse cum Brackley manor in 1086 and although it is not certain where the Domesday mill actually lay, of the three members of the manor it is Brackley that has the most substantial stream on which a mill could have been constructed. The Old Town Mill is first identified in 1270 as lying against ‘Banlonde’ and ‘the great bridge of Torveston’. The mill was burnt down and rebuilt in 1458. This must be the mill recorded in 1830 to the east of the Old Town, lying immediately east of Banlond and south of the road which led towards Turweston. The site is still occupied by buildings today. It is possible that the Hospital built a second water mill in the Old Town for in 1260-5 there is reference to the ‘upper mill’ of the hospital, near Banland. This is probably the malt mill by le Banlonde in 1270.

{3} History:
1086 Domesday survey records one mill at Brachelai rendering 10s
1781 The mill and mill-house were described as thatched
1788 By this date operating in conjunction with a windmill in Brackley Field
1880 The watermill was for sale and the new owners installed a steam engine
1928 Milling using water and steam power continued until at least this date
1940 By this time milling had ceased
Shown, un-named, on Eyre's 1779 map; Bryants' 1827 map marks the mill together with the windmill as Brackley Mills; 1900 25in. OS map marks it Brackley Mill

Ballinger J.; Foard G., 1999, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Brackley, (unchecked) (Report). SNN106655.

<2> Ballinger J.; Foard G., 1999, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Brackley, Section 3.1.2.5 Water Mills, Old Town Mill (checked) (Digital archive). SNN100499.

<3> STARMER G., 2002?, Northamptonshire Watermills Survey 2001 - 2002 (A-H), p.12 (checked) (Report). SNN105520.

<4> Chapman, P., 2011, A desk-based assessment of land south of Turweston Road, Brackley, Northamptonshire, (checked) (Report). SNN108142.

Record last edited

Aug 14 2014 5:45PM