Building record 7414/1/1 - Murcott Mill

The site of the mill has been cleared, but the adjoining three-storey mill-house remains.

{1} Post medieval brick-built watermill, three storey, located at south-west end of millhouse. The bin floor has an unusually wide walkway.

{4} No mill is recorded in Buckby in 1086. In 1294-5 just one mill is recorded, called Walkemilne. Given that this is the period when there is record of the sale of woollen cloth from at least two stalls within the market it may be that this was a fulling mill, ‘walker’ being a common term for a fuller. There was still fulling taking place in the village in 1564-5 and again in the first half of the 18th century. This implies that one of the mills was still at that time a fulling mill.
In 1310 there were 2 water mills on the Chokes manor and these continued in 1343-4 and in 1415-16, when they were held at farm. The Nether mylle is recorded in 1444. In 1484 one mill with holmes and pasture and meadow was held at farm for £5 per annum. In 1590 the two watermills were held by Roger Carell for £6/9/0 per annum from Sir Christopher Hatton who held them by lease from the Queen. The two mills are described as lying at the west end of Buckby, with two holmes of meadow belonging to them, with 3 arable lands and half an acre of meadow belonging to the Over Milne and one acre of arable to the Nether Milne. With the mills he also held two cottages each with a little close of pasture. In 1720 there was a water mill near Murcott and another a little below the town. These are depicted on Eayre's map, as the Upper and Lower mills on Bryant's map and on the first edition 1:2500 Ordnance Survey mapping and thus can be accurately located.

{5} History:
1444 Le Nethermylle is referred to in Court Rolls.
1561 Court case involving Roger Caryll v. Sir John Spencer concerned a mill called Nether Mill at Long Buckby.
1591 Sir Christopher Hatton held of the Queen and sub-let to Roger Caryll “two water mills lying on the westend of Buckbie”
1778 Upper and lower mills both occupied by John Jellis.
1784 John Jellis and Rober Ashby of Long Buckby, millers, insured £ 50 on their utensils and stock in Long Buckby Mill.
1805 Attempt to buy Long Buckby Mill in connection with providing a feeder to the Grand Junction Canal.
1857 Two water corn mills in Long Buckby advertised for sale.
1881 Construction of the Northampton — Rugby railway line cut through the mill-pond and reduced the water supply to the mill.
1882 Partitions and new hoisting tackle installed by Groom, millwright, of Eastcote.
1883 Advertisement re sale of “Two water mills” at Long Buckby stated that at Buckby Bottom Mill the building known as The Mill was being used as a granary.
Documentary sources: Eyre & Jefferys’ 1791 map marks it as Buckby Mill; Bryant’s 1827 map marks it Lower Mill; 1834 OS 1 inch map marks it only as Mill with a mill-pond to the north-east; and 1912 OS 1 inch map still marks it as Mill although the railway embankment is shown across the site of the former mill-pond and the course of the stream is north west of the building.
Site of mill cleared but the adjoining three-storey mill-house remains, used as a guest house.

<1> Starmer G.H., 1966, CBA Record Cards: Industrial Archaeology in Northamptonshire, Recorded by GH Starmer, Jul-1966, Record No.308305 (Recording Form (Not SMR)). SNN1626.

<2> Starmer G.H., 1973, National Register of Industrial Monuments, (part checked) (Catalogue). SNN571.

<3> Starmer G.H., 1982, National Register of Industrial Monuments, (part checked) (Catalogue). SNN563.

<4> FOARD G., 2000, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Long Buckby (Medieval + Post Medieval), (checked) (Report). SNN100746.

<5> STARMER G., 2002?, Northamptonshire Watermills Survey 2001 - 2002 (H-Z), p.86 (checked) (Report). SNN105521.

<6> Historic England, Undated, National Record of Industrial Monuments (NRIM): Index Cards, NRI01 (Archive). SNN113469.

Record last edited

Dec 1 2023 2:41PM