Hungerford Virtual Museum

Website produced and maintained for the Hungerford Historical Association
by Hugh Pihlens

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	You are in [Places] [Bridge Street properties] [7a Bridge Street]

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.




	Mill Hatch, Mar 2007



		Town Mill, c1900

Timeline

1275 (Tom Hine) Mill extant. There were two mills in the town.

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.

1576 Queen's Mill operating (deeds at Wilts R.O. & one at Berks R.O.)

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.]

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. 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. Gibbs, the architect was Mr W. Stephenson Raine, Joy Peart's father. He also designed 9 Salisbury Road). First tenants were Lon and Joy Peart (Aug 1936), who lived there until 1963.
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.

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 Mr. and Mrs. Donald and Janet MacDonald and 2 daughters.

1996 Bought by Mr and Mrs Anthony and Jo Prentis