Monument record 4679/0/72 - Site of Blisworth mill

A watermill was still present here in the 18th century, but had gone by the late 19th century. Possibly the site of the Domesday mill listed for Blisworth. The mill pond appears to have been located to the south

{1} History:
1086 Domesday recorded Blidesworde with one mill rendering 2 shillings
1798 In militia returns for Blisworth, a schedule gives William Dent owning one watermill able to grind 6 quarters per week.
1800 Building of the canal would have taken the water from the mill
1969 House-building started on the site of the mill pond.

The present road to Gayton is built on top of the original mill pond dam. The pond stretched to the south of the road and was fed by the stream which was diverted by the building of the canal

{2} Water mill located at the bottom of Mill Lane. The mill used an overshot wheel and its existence accounts for the name of the field now replacing the pond - "Pond Bank". In fact by 1729 the pond had been drained into a tiny one which surely could have not driven the wheel for more than half a day. This situation is clearly shown in the original 1729 map. Fisher Brook, which supplied the water for the mill, was diverted to the canal in 1795. The canal company, by law, were obliged to buy out any millers using water which is taken for the canal and in 1794 is recorded the purchase of a (water) mill and garden from a Richard Dent.

<1> STARMER G., 2002?, Northamptonshire Watermills Survey 2001 - 2002 (A-H), p. 9 (Report). SNN105520.

<2> Blisworth Heritage Society, 2005, A Grand Exhibition of Blisworth Images, mills-blisworth (Website). SNN107535.

Record last edited

Feb 8 2017 2:11PM