Monument record 1681/7/3 - Brigstock Manor: Mill pond

Site of the mill pond which drove the mill. It may have originated as a fishpond in the medieval period.

{1} A fishpond associated with the royal hunting lodge at Brigstock was repaired in the 12th century. Other repairs took place in the 13th century and the pond supplied fish to the table at Westminster. When surveyed in the later 13th century they were in good repair. This may be in the origin of the pond upstream from the manor which in 1725 drove the watermill, for the meadow to the west of the mill pond was then known as 'Fishdam'. However it is possible that the hunting lodge referred to is one within the Great Park and not the manor house in the village.

{6} North of Bridge Street the upstream part of the former millpond has been landscaped into a large garden but at the north end the position of the entrance channel is marked by stone walls. South of Bridge Street was the main part of the millpond. At the south west corner of the pond there remains in dilapidated condition the wooden vertical-rising sluice gate, together with its lifting screw gear. Immediately below this, the grid of iron bars forming the eel-trap remains in position. From the pond, a brick-lined watercourse makes its sinuous route across the garden on the south west side of the former mill-house until it stops at the fence forming the boundary between the now separate properties of mill and mill house. There is now no water carrying channel to the waterwheel and no ground level evidence of the tail race but to the south east the stone wall in the north bank of the stream has indications of an arch for this purpose.

<1> Foard G, 1999, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Brigstock (Medieval + Post Medieval), (unchecked) (Digital archive). SNN100441.

<2> 1440, Survey of Brigstock, 1440, (unchecked) (Document). SNN100442.

<3> 1596, Survey of Brigstock, (unchecked) (Document). SNN100443.

<4> 1607, Survey of Brigstock, (unchecked) (Document). SNN100444.

<5> 1725, Brigstock Survey, (unchecked) (Map). SNN100446.

<6> STARMER G., 2002?, Northamptonshire Watermills Survey 2001 - 2002 (A-H), p.14 (checked) (Report). SNN105520.

<7> 1725, Brigstock Survey, (unchecked) (Map). SNN100446.

Record last edited

Mar 8 2023 9:24AM