You are in [Places] [Bridge Street Properties] [7a Bridge Street]
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Summary:
Earliest information: 1576
Original estate: Hungerford
Common Rights? No
Date of current building: 1935
Listed: No
Thumbnail History:
Queen's Mill (<1576) -> Harrison (1795) -> Popham -> Turner -> Demolished 1935 -> Mill Hatch built 1936 -> Peart -> Robinson -> Whiting -> MacDonald -> Prentis
[There are deeds of this property at the Wiltshire Record Office. Berkshire RO has one, in very poor condition].
*NB: Thought required here! There are no current Commoner's Rights with The Mill, but they are with Mill Cottage. Quit rent entries exist clearly for The "house and Mill" (8d), as well as "for his other house" 2d. "His other house" probably refers to Mill Cottage, but this could be erroneous - HLP
Description of property:
Site of Town or Queen's Mill. Mill Hatch was newly built in 1935-36.
Photo Gallery:
Mill Hatch, Mar 2007.
Town Mill, c1900
- Mill Hatch, March 2007.
- Town Mill, c.1900.
Timeline:
1275 (Tom Hine) Mill extant. There were two mills in the town.
1319 (Cal Pat Rolls) Earl of Lancaster grants to John de Warene 60s 6d rent in Hungerford out of issues of the town and mills in Hungerford held in chief.
1353 (C143/308/28 = 26EdIII) Henry, Duke of Lancaster, grants mills in Hungerford to Thomas de la Ryver for life.
1361 (Cal Pat Rolls) King assigns to Maud, daughter of Henry, Duke of Lancaster, ... Hungerford mill held for life by Thomas de la Ryver.
1510-22 (Norman Hidden) William Battesford, miller of the King's mill, occupied what is now 12 & 13 High Street.
1548 (CPR, nb iv p49)
1566 (NH) "Burned and utterly consumed by fire". (See notes on The Great Fire of Hungerford, 1566). The great fire is thought to have started at the mill, and spread south through the town as far as the present Three Swans Hotel. At least 16 properties were destroyed. The mill was repaired at a cost of about £100. The mill was owned by the Crown.
1573 Survey (T/S p2,3)
1576 Queen's Mill operating (deeds at Wilts R.O. & one at Berks R.O.)
1591 (Tom Hine) John Youle. As the miller at Town Mill, he had a legal monopoly to grind corn for the Manor of Hungerford. (During the medieval period, mills were governed by 'milling soke', part of each manor's charter. Villagers were required to grind their corn at the "lord's mill", paying a toll which usually amounted to one-sixteenth of the flour. Millers, rarely popular figures, were often accused of taking more flour than they were entitled to, and eventually the practice changed so that the miller bought the grain and sold the flour.)
1774-1780 (QR) No entry (between Woodroffe 7BS and Garrard 9BS)
(10.5.1785 (Tom Hine) Richard Hurst, a miller of Hungerford, Berks, married by licence at Ham)
1795-1804 (QR) Harrison for House and Mill (8d)
1805-17 (QR) Harrison for House & Mill, Edward William Leybourne Popham Esq. (8d).
1818-23 (QR) E.W.L. Popham Esq., for House and Mill (8d)
1832 (QR) E.W.L. Popham Esq., for House and Mill (8d)
1832 (QR) E.W.L. Popham Esq., for House and Mill (8d)
1842 (Tom Hine) James Langford at High Street, Town Mills
1851 (Tom Hine) James Langford of Town Mills also at Denford Mill and Dun Mill.
1869 (Tom Hine) Executors of George Andrews
1895 (Tom Hine) Jessett Bros.
1899-1920 Last miller was Mr. Coles, who later lived in 104 HS, and died after WW1.
c.1920 Milling ceased after Mr Cole' death and the mill became derelict.
1932 (QR) Mr. G. Turner (Burrard) "House and Mill, formerly Edward Wm Leybourne Popham Esq.", q.r. 8d.
"ditto for the other house, ditto, q.r.2d.
1935 (Interview with Mr. Lancelot "Lon" Peart by LPP 29.3.1983) Old mill demolished. George Andrews was the last occupant. Site owned by Mr. A.G. Turner of Hungerford Park, who built Mill Hatch for £1,000 (builder was Mr. Jack Gibbs of JT Gibbs, the architect was Mr W. Stephenson Raine, Joy Peart's father. He also designed 9 Salisbury Road).
Robert James adds "Jack Gibbs himself built Mill Hatch. He always drove a smart car. The one I remember was a 14hp dark green Vauxhall, with a spare wheel on the back of the boot. He lived in Sarum Way."
First tenants were Lon and Joy Peart (Aug 1936), who lived there until 1963.
Robert James adds: Mr Peart was "Mr" to everyone except close friends and family who knew him as "Lon". Otherwise, a few were allowed to call him "Lancelot". In the Town & manor minutes, and in Jim Davis's book, he was always referred to as "Lancelot".
1939 (Blacket's) L.R. Peart, Mill Hatch
1963 (Lon Peart) Lon and Joy Peart left Mill Hatch. Sold by Mr Turner to Major Sir Gerald Burrard (of Willow Lodge, Bridge Street), ballistics expert during WWII.
?date: (Lon Peart) Bought by Mr. E.K. Robinson (of Bristol, Paper Mills), for £7,000, including the meadows and fishing!.
1984 Robinson sold eastern end of his property (marsh and river) to Beechcroft Developers. Beechcroft bought adjacent land to this from Mr. Roy Bennett so allowing Charnham Street frontage and the building of Bearwater in 1985-86.
Note (by Robert James): The fishing rights of the Mill Pool and downstream of the Mill Waste (on either side of the old mill in Bridge Street) are held by the Town & Manor. Commoners only have a right of access through the black door in Bridge Street on fishing days - Monday, Thursday and Saturday.
1985: House and remaining small rear garden bought by Mr. and Mrs. Peter and Jenny Whiting from Axford and their 3 children.
1987?: Bought by Donald and Jane MacDonald (and 2 daughters).
1996 Bought by Mr and Mrs Anthony and Jo Prentis. (Tony Prentice died 2020]
Dec 2021: Sold for £563,000.
A historical puzzle - can you help?
Tom Hine has records of "Hungerford Mill" on the River Dun OS Ref 340 688, and has wondered if there is a second Hungerford Mill besides Town Mill or Queen's Mill. He gives the following information about it:
1614 Thomas Holmes - a Tucking mill (Tucking mill was the West Country term for a fulling mill which was where homespun cloth was dipped, cleansed and dressed.)
1691 Now a corn mill
1783 William Hall, miller
1795 Thomas Rendall, owner
1804 Thomas Rendall, James Bradshaw and James Hall - partnership dissolved
1805 James Bradshaw
1823 Thomas Lanfear
1830 Thomas Lanfear
1847 J Langford
1864 J Langford
1854 Thomas Bungay (also at Denford Mill)
1869 Samuel and Henry Trumper (also at Dun Mill)
1887 T E Andrews
May 1887 Mill for sale
3.6.1889 New roller mill plant installed
1895 Mill for sale
1895 George Coombe
1899 George Bungay
1905 ("The Miller") Mill changed hands
1907 Bungey & Chamberlain
1911 Bungey & Chamberlain
1963 Site visit by Ken Major - who described it as a "pre-1847 mill".
[This information has raised a number of issues regarding Hungerford Mills - yet to be resolved. If any reader can help untangle this information, please email the Administrator.]
The Canal Wharf, 2011