PMP2000 > Places > Charnwood History

INDUSTRIES

MILLING:
Water and wind powered corn mills were to be found all over the Borough from before the Norman Conquest of 1066. They served a vital function in daily life, grinding not only flour for bread but also animal feed. So naturally, they were almost exclusively owned by the various Lords of the Manor and everyone had to pay to use them. Not only that but they were only permitted to use certain specified mills and faced heavy penalties if they should try to use somewhere a little cheaper. It was rather like rationing during the Second World War when people would have to register with particular shops and could not use any others.

However, this did not stop mill owners from trying to "poach" users from other mills. THOMAS FARNHAM of QUORN was once prosecuted for sending carts to other mills to bring back corn to be ground in his own mill.

Several water mills still exist in CHARNWOOD although greatly altered and none are now fulfilling their original purpose.

Possibly the most famous mill in CHARNWOOD is COTES MILL. The one that exists today was originally "THE LOWER MILL", one of two in the village. It is first mentioned in DOMESDAY BOOK in 1086. The second, or UPPER MILL was closed in 1890 and it's dam dismantled in an attempt to prevent the flooding which had affected the area for centuries. Today's COTES MILL continued working and enjoyed an excellent reputation, so much so that in the 1920s, it won first prize in a national milling and baking competition. It finally closed as a working Mill in 1973 and the building is now a very popular public house and restaurant.

Many mills did not only grind corn. SILEBY mill was used in the manufacture of leather board and the mill in BARROW was converted in the 1880s to grind gypsum for plaster. This function continued until 1930. The mill itself was demolished in 1938 but the two wheel sluices still pour water into the river. The short MILL RACE now acts as a mooring arm, off the canal itself. THe site is almost certainly one of the three mills listed in DOMESDAY BOOK in 1086 and valued at ten shillings. It was bought in 1824 by the LEICESTER NAVIGATION COMPANY to gain control of its water usage.

COSSINGTON MILL lies on the east bank of the River Soar and was at least partially built in the 17th century. It is of black and white timber frame construction and is now used as a restaurant. There has been a mill here since at least 1248 and it is possible that one of the three mills mentioned in DOMESDAY BOOK was also on this site.

In 1448, the mill was valued at 20 shillings per year. A description of 1477 says it was "a corn and fulling mill under one roof with fishing in the water called Le Sore; and willows growing on the pond called Le Milnedame".

Ownership of the mill changed many times during the 14th and 15th centuries and by the 1600s, it was both a corn and a paper mill. This situation which continued until the early 20th century, when it reverted to corn only. The final miller, HENRY GARDNER, left in 1928, after which the machinery was removed. In the 1930s and 1940s, the building was used as a tea room by MR AND MRS DICK and later became a more "up-market" restaurant.

BURTON ON THE WOLDS had a mill in the village in the last century but it's location has been lost. However, we do know that in 1871, the miller was a man called WILLIAM WALE.

Three mills were listed by DOMESDAY BOOK as operating on the River Soar in 1086. one of which was almost certainly MOUNTSORREL MILL. This was originally part of the BEAUMANOR ESTATE and the earliest specific record of it is in a document of 1595. Further records of 1599, 1627 and 1733 all show it as belonging to the HERRICKS of BEAUMANOR. A second mill was built on Loughborough Road in 1775 which, by 1900, was using a steam engine to grind the corn. The mill and surrounding buildings were bought up in 1960, and demolished to make way for a centre for sailing enthusiasts.

ULVERSCROFT MILL, despite the name, is really in NEWTOWN LINFORD. It is close to a public footpath between Ulverscroft Lane and Main Street but is largely obscured by trees. It is in a very poor state of repair and cannot be entered safely. The wheel is now gone but the mill was originally of the "overshot" design. This means that water from the mill race would shoot down over the wheel from the top, rather than driving it from below. The mill stopped operating in the Second World War.

Windmills were also a familiar feature in the CHARNWOOD of the past. WINDMILL HILL lies to the west of WOODHOUSE EAVES and still carries traces of the windmill which stood there before burning down during WW2. The hill is now owned by LEICESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL and is open to the public.

The FENNY WINDMILL in SHEPSHED was one of the last working mills in the County but has now been converted into a house.

A windmill mound survives by the main road between ROTHLEY and MOUNTSORREL but others exist now only as place and street names, such as the WINDMILL INN in LOUGHBOROUGH.