MILLS.
Seven mills belonged to the manor of
Warminster in 1086 (fn. 3) but in 1300 the lord of Warminster held only one water mill in demesne,
while another was held under him by a free tenant. (fn. 4)
There is little doubt that the demesne mill was that
at Boreham, which was held by Thomas Mauduit,
lord of the manor, in the early 13th century. (fn. 5)
Boreham Mill was in hand in 1385 and 1391, and
still, or again, in 1409, when it was repaired, and in
1412. (fn. 6) By 1442 it was let for 66s 8d. a year, which
was reduced to 53s. 4d. in 1454-5 when the new
tenant was John Bowerman. (fn. 7) It continued to be
let on lives at this rent until the 18th century.
Among long tenancies may be mentioned those
of the Bowerman family, who still held it in 1508, (fn. 8)
the Goodridge or Goodrose family between 1626
and 1682, (fn. 9) and the Marsh family, 1700-65. (fn. 10) In
1810 the mill was included in the Longleat property
exchanged with F. D. Astley, (fn. 11) and remained the
property of his family until 1884, when it was
sold. (fn. 12) The new owners evidently rebuilt it, for
the large brick mill is dated 1886. It contained a
20 h. p. turbine in 1893. (fn. 13) In 1962 it was used by
Wiltshire Farmers Ltd. for grinding animal food;
water power was still used.
The mill which was held as a freehold of the
capital manor in 1300 may have reverted to the
lord very soon afterwards, for in 1309 Thomas
Mauduit let the water mill of Fishwear to Robert
the Miller. (fn. 14) It was still let at farm in the late 14th
century, (fn. 15) and in 1496. (fn. 16) A tenant held it at a rent
of 28s. in 1578, (fn. 17) and in 1659 the same rent was paid
for Henry Allen's mills. (fn. 18) By 1690, however, a
close 'on which formerly stood a mill called
Fisher's Mill' was let with other lands; (fn. 19) it lay
on the Cannimore stream near the western end of
Warminster Common, between the roads leading
to Folly Farm and Cannimore Farm, (fn. 20) where a
weir still remains in 1962.
No mill belonging to the manor of Smallbrook
was mentioned in 1086, (fn. 21) but there was one in
1268. (fn. 22) In 1366 John Mauger paid a rent for
Smallbrook Mill to the manor of Upton Scudamore, (fn. 23) and the mill and land immediately around
it may already have lain in Upton parish, as it
did in the 18th and 19th centuries. (fn. 24) It was probably
the mill which belonged to the manor of Warminster Scudamore in 1444-5, (fn. 25) but nothing more is
certainly known of it until the end of the 15th
century, when it was appurtenant to the manor
of Portway. (fn. 26) It passed in the same way as that
manor (fn. 27) to the Middlecott family, for in 1582
William Middlecott paid the chief rent of 1s. 6d.
for it to the manor of Warminster Scudamore. (fn. 28)
After his death his son Edward sold the mill in
1602 to William Adlam, (fn. 29) although it was held on
lease by members of the Middlecott family for
many years afterwards. (fn. 30) In 1650 this or another
William Adlam sold it to John Bennett, lord of the
manor of Smallbrook, and it descended in his
family as the manor did. (fn. 31) By 1837, however, the
chief rent was paid by John Webb. (fn. 32) Before 1849
it had passed to the Astley family, and was sold with
the rest of their estate in 1884. (fn. 33) Smallbrook Mill
seems always to have been a corn mill. (fn. 34) It was
still so used in the late 19th century, but in c. 1900
it was converted to pump sewage to the Warminster
sewage works nearby. (fn. 35) After the abandonment of the
sewage works the mill was partly demolished, but part
of the 19th-century brick building remained in 1962.
The mill at Henford's Marsh lay in a detached
part of Norton Bavant, and is dealt with in the
account of that parish. (fn. 36)