Aylesby Mill in Lincolnshire - A look at the History and Site
Aylesby Mill was once not far from my house and on a spot it turns out I’ve walked past in ignorance many times.
It’s existence only came to my attention the other day after studying some old maps so it seemed only right and proper to try and locate the spot on which it once stood and try to find out something of its history
There is an extract of an 1824 map below which shows the location and today I set out to correspond that information with a modern map and try to locate the spot on the ground as it were.
1824 Map
You’ll note Pewet Hall marked on the map, well today that is Pyewipe Farm on Aylesby road so the track downward offers the perfect sighter.
Walking it and then triangulating the spot with Pywipe Farm and Wybers Wood. (the wood not housing development marked as Wybers Covers on the map) I came up with the spot below and roughly the location the mill once stood on
The Spot on Which Aylesby Mill Once Stood
Subsequent investigations have proven slightly less fruitful, information, like the ice at the time of visiting, being thin on the ground.
The History of Brocklesby Hunt makes mention of regular pass bys in the pursuit of foxes and I also dug up a rather gruesome piece of history.
In 1812 on Robert Hill, aged only 41, was returning home to Laceby one dark night from Grimsby when he lost his bearings, and presumably footing, and drowned in a “Brook a few yards below the mill pit of Aylesby Mill” !
Local council records state that there should be some archaeological work done there but as to whether there has been I could not say.
Sadly that’s pretty much the extent of what I’ve dug up initially. Hopefully more will come to light and if so it will be added to this page.
To that end if you know anything at all associated with Aylesby Mill, especially if you know of any illustrations in existence, then please do leave a comment - we’d really appreciate it.
All the best
Rod
See Also Wrawby Windmill
[later edit]
The Hunt at Aylesby Mill Cottage c1936
We are much indebted to the Laceby History Group and Peter Mullins for the wonderful photograph
[Later edit 22.5.10]
I’ve made a short, and it has to be said less than epic, video of the immediate area around where the mill once stood - it’s just to give those who cannot go there some idea of how the land lies
Amiguru said,
December 28, 2009 @ 8:26 pm
Rod,
My immediate gamble is that it was a water-mill. The hunt is on…..
N
le
Amiguru said,
December 28, 2009 @ 8:40 pm
Post 2….
AYLESBY is a village and parish, 5 and a half miles WSW of Grimsby containing 172 souls and 2,110 acres, T T Drake Esq is lord of the manor, owner of most of the soil, impropiator and patron of the church (St Lawrence), which us a perpetual curacy, now valued at £73, and enjoyed by the Rev John T Drake of Amersham, Bucks, for whom the Rev A Creighton of Grimsby officiates. Here is a water corn mill, and an excellent gravel pit, and the Tyrwhitt family had formerly a seat here.
Thomas Horton Carpenter
Executors of John Scrivener Corn millers
Theophilus Clark Farmer
John Patchett Farmer
William Torr Farmer
Frances Sowerby Farmer
Source: White’s Directory, 1856
N
le
Rod said,
December 29, 2009 @ 8:40 am
Neville,
excellent !
I’m trying to check through some tax information on the area to see if there’s mention of it in there.
It would be good to try and establish the actual date range of its existence as well
Best
Rod
chris keyworth said,
December 29, 2009 @ 2:25 pm
extracts from the domesday book…
In Aylesby Habeinn had 6 bovates of land and a third part of 1 bovate taxable, land for 1 plough. Nigel, the Bishops man, has half a plough
3 Freemen, 1 villager 1 smallholder with half a plough.
1 mill site.
value before 1066, 40s now 20s.
in aylesby Ormr had 2 carucates of land and 6 bovates and 2 parts of 1 bovate taxable. land for 5 ploughs. picote, the counts man, now has 2 ploughs
6 villagers, 3 smallholders and 20 freemen who have 2 ploughs and 2 oxen.
A church and a priest 1 1/2 mills, 9s
value before 1066 5L, now 4L exactions 20s.
Rod said,
December 29, 2009 @ 4:41 pm
Chris,
that’s excellent, many thanks, I wonder whether that is the mill ?
Also does that read “1.5 mills” as it were ?
Best
Rod
chris keyworth said,
December 29, 2009 @ 5:27 pm
yes one and a half mills
Peter Mullins said,
January 25, 2010 @ 5:54 am
I think the ‘half Mill’ at Domesday was either a second mill in Aylesby manor which was also used by those from a neighbouring settlement, or a mill in a neighbouring settlement which Aylesby people had a right to use.
Aylesby Mill House is there on the 1908 OS map. One or two dwellings is or are called Mill House in the 1881 census, so the water corn mill listed in the 1856 directory might still have being used as a mill twenty-five years later, or it might have simply become housing by then, or fresh or neighbouring building might have taken the old mill name. James and Hannah Hinson (40 and 30) lived there with six children (all born at Laceby, aged 17 to 1, so Hannah may have had her first child at 13) as did John and Ann Grant (both 49) with no children listed; James and John are both listed as agricultural labourers rather than as millers.
Might the Theophilus Clark (Farmer) listed in the 1856 directory be the father of the John Clark who was farming Wibers Farm at the time of the 1881 census? Might James Hinson and John Grant be John Clark’s two labourers on Wibers Farm?
Rod said,
January 25, 2010 @ 8:22 am
Peter,
great research and a very sound theory it sounds more than likely to me.
This level of investigation using names is bound to bring up so really interesting information and connections - has to do.
As to Theophilus Clark, I really do hope that he is - again it muct be a very real possibility surely !
I’ve just been looking for more information on the Theophilus Clark name Peter and will continue to do so.
Many thanks Peter it’s both fascinating and inspiring
All the best
Rod
Rod said,
January 25, 2010 @ 8:34 am
There’s mention of an:
Aylesby Mill House Lincolnshire
in 1158
c1750s
John SCRIVENER, Aylesby Mill
Neville already mentions Scrivener some 100 years later
Amiguru said,
January 25, 2010 @ 2:09 pm
Rod and Peter,
Excellent detective work but a little caution is needed here regarding Domesday mills. Firstly, any mills listed would perforce be watermills, (which in this case is fine because of the Freshney,) as windmills did not exist in England for a further hundred years.
Secondly, I would like to quote the following regarding a mills in Bedfordshire:
“Domesday
The Domesday Book of 1086 records a number of holdings in Stanford as well as a number of mills. The major owner, Eudo, son of Hubert, had a holding with two mills valued together at 29 shillings and 50 eels. Another landowner was Hugh de Beauchamp (made Baron of Bedford within ten years by William II) who had a number of small pieces of land one of which, tenanted by one Roger, had half a mill, valued at 5/-. William Speke owned a small area of land, tenanted by a certain Hugh, it, too, contained half a mill valued at 5/-, presumably the other half of that owned by Hugh de Beauchamp and tenanted by Roger. Azelina, Ralph Tallboys’ wife was recorded as having land tenanted by Roger (perhaps the same as that tenanting Hugh de Beauchamp’s land), this holding also included a mill - a total of four mills. It should be noted that this does not necessarily mean four mill buildings as later on a mill came to be regarded as a pair of grinding stones - thus Shefford Mill was known as Shefford Mills and was recorded as five mills because it had five pairs of stones”.
On this basis there may have only been one mill at Wybers which had a spare stone. What do you think guys?
Regards,
le
N
Rod said,
January 25, 2010 @ 2:33 pm
Neville,
this is what I love about this sort of thing, not just the information but what is learnt along the way.
Watermills: I never knew about the windmills, brilliant !
Are we then to say that any full-sized mill mentioned in Domesday has to be beside running water ?
Could half a mill perhaps just be a couple of reasonable sized stones that were manually turned Neville ?
Can’t tell you how fascinating all this is
Best
Rod
Amiguru said,
January 25, 2010 @ 3:11 pm
Rod,
Your not the only one learning as we go; we are driving each other on and as a group asking questions that may not occur to a lone researcher.
The only other kind of mill I can think of is a tidal mill, (of which there was an example extant not so long ago only a couple of miles from where I now live,) but generally I believe that would be the case. Might be worth trawling
the DB to see if all mills in an area were likely to be near a stream.
No Rod, a hand driven pair of stones, aka a quern were a commonplace piece of household equipment right from the stoneage so would be unlikely to be mentioned, (i.e. taxable).
Regards,
le
N
chris keyworth said,
January 25, 2010 @ 3:31 pm
a post mill driven by oxen could be an option
there was one at great limber.
looking at the maps i would say a tidal mill would be out of the range of the tides in this area..
regards
chris
Rod said,
January 25, 2010 @ 4:23 pm
Neville,
thanks for the confirmation about different possibile mills - it’s very useful to think that inland mills mentioned in Domesday should be by water.
I was wondering about something and I see Chris has beaten me to it.
I seem to have some idea of a mill powered by horses or the like, not huge but a fair size.
Perhaps something like that could be half a mill ?
Best
Rod
chris keyworth said,
January 25, 2010 @ 5:01 pm
post mills where as common as water mills in medieval England the one at great limber was were the mauselium is now.
regards
chris
Rod said,
January 25, 2010 @ 5:48 pm
I’m turning into a mill anorak !
I’ve been searching information and I’m surprised it’s so annoyingly elusive.
Post Mills seem to be windmills which are capable of turning in order to best capture wind direction so presumably an advance on a standard windmill.
Neville seems to have hit a good point in that an inland mill listed in Domesday must be a watermill, numerous sources confirm this (very useful thing to remember that any mill wold be generally by a river)
I’m still stumped with the animal driven mill though - I’ll edit this comment with more info’
Regards
Windy Miller
chris keyworth said,
January 25, 2010 @ 6:19 pm
A post mill is two mill stones with a post in the middle connected with an arm to turn the top millstone i would imagine the did eventualy evolve into wind driven mills, animal driven mills were in use in the roman period, if you look into third world countrys they are largley living in a medieval society you will find these sorts of mills in most villages…
regards
chris
Rod said,
January 25, 2010 @ 6:48 pm
Chris,
I expected it to be simple, find a nice site on the history of mills . . .
Found horse mills and I can see what I’m on about in my head but . . . the internet is useless.
The post mill thing, I just went by the definitions I saw on the web - I’m milled out
Best
Rod
chris keyworth said,
January 25, 2010 @ 7:32 pm
try cider mills, then scale up
chris
Amiguru said,
January 25, 2010 @ 9:38 pm
Rod,
As you know, I was not implying that tidal mills were relevant in your neck of the woods, just referring to optional types available at the time of the DB. If you have been milling around the internet looking for pertinent information I’m sure you will have hit on the following; but just in case not, here it is:
http://www.walthamwindmill.co.uk/Grimsby%20Mills,%20Sass%20notes.htm
It also gives clues to other things we have discussed on other threads. Enjoy
May your bushels be struck,
le
N
Rod said,
January 26, 2010 @ 8:48 am
Neville,
indeed I did, noting also it was in response to me asking
“Are we then to say that any full-sized mill mentioned in Domesday has to be beside running water ?”
Like the link Neville, especially one or tow things they mention
I suspect I’ll have to do posts (pun not intended) on all the local windmills !
Better get my nose to the grindstone
Best
Rod
Peter Mullins said,
February 28, 2010 @ 8:52 pm
I tried to e-mail you last night a picture of a Hunt at the Mill Cottage in the 1930s (provided by the Sec of the Laceby History Group) but I don’t know whether it will ahve come through. Peter
Rod said,
March 1, 2010 @ 7:55 am
Hi Peter,
that sounds fabulous Peter - I’ll add it to the site but sadly no email got through.
Please do try again
Many thanks in advance
Rod
Rod said,
May 6, 2010 @ 5:19 pm
Discovered by History Hunter and kindly sent in - from a local government file connected to potential planning permission etc
From Arch - The site contains the remains of structures and earthworks associated with the former Aylesby Mill. A staged archaeological investigation is required.
Rod said,
May 22, 2010 @ 8:12 pm
Video Update:
Here’s another fledgling effort, this time of the spot where Aylesby Mill once stood.
I must be getting a little arty as I shot this with a wide angle lens and an ND graduated filter - hence the nice looking sky !
Regulars my recognise the large sole tree on the hill and also you’ll see a little bit of a farm bridge to the left at one point, this is the bridge the Brocklesby Hunt crossed as mentioned in the Wybers Wood article. I walk this area a lot as we’re only 10 minutes walk from my house at this very spot.
Video added to bottom of main article - hope you like it - comments welcomed
Best
Rod
Femme Fatale said,
May 23, 2010 @ 8:58 am
Rod,
What a lovely spot,
you are getting good at this video lark
FF
xx
Rod said,
May 23, 2010 @ 9:39 am
FF,
I’ll be doing feature films soon !
My brother tells me the season finale of the TV show House was filmed entirely using a Canon DSLR camera like this !
Absolutely incredible really !
Regards
Rod
Amiguru said,
May 23, 2010 @ 12:22 pm
Rod,
Bated breath…..will he, won’t he? It has to happen sooner or later…..go for it man! Think of the generations to come….imagine how charmed they will be in two hundred years time being able to hear the melifluous Lincolnshire tones of HMV, the one and only famous cyberhistorian Rod Collins commentating!
I have two editions of Sam Pepys journal, one of which is the 10 volume Wheatley edition, as well as Arthur Bryant’s biography of him; I know the man inside out but I would hand them all over just to hear Sam speak
You owe it to your fan base Rod, think how your videos will be enhanced……Narro iam vel umquam habitum vestri pacis.
Regards,
Neville
Rod said,
May 23, 2010 @ 1:38 pm
Neville,
one thing I’m sure about is that I’ve not got the voice for narration - especially recently as it hardly seems to even work sometimes !
It will be good to get some moving pictures of some areas though as they’re not available elsewhere nr are they ever likely to be.
Also I think it helps get the feel of the place over more, landsacpe photographs in usable sizes always seem a little ‘flat’
Best
Rod