Information for record number MWA4252:
Site of Brandon Mill

Summary Site of a water mill producing paper in the 18th century and converted to silk spinning in 1820s. Out of repair by 1900. Foundations and earthworks still visible in early 1980s.
What Is It?  
Type: Watermill, Silk Mill, Paper Mill
Period: Post-medieval - Industrial (1540 AD - 1820 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Brandon and Bretford
District: Rugby, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 39 75
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)
Level of Protection National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

  
Source Number  

1 The mill is marked as a paper mill on Henry Beighton's map of 1725. In 1741 it was insured by Thomas Ashby and continued to produce paper until George Herbert converted it to silk spinning in the 1820s. In 1849 Stephen Wilson sold it to Sarah Herbert. By 1900 it is described as 'a large silk mill out of repair'. Only the foundations of the building remain. The site of the waterwheel is still visible, although partly filled with rubbish. The leat and the tail race are still visible.
2 JH suggests that Booth's site for Brandon silk mill is incorrect and that the mill was actually at the above grid reference. A site visit showed the foundations of the building and the long leat which fed the wheel and the tail race were still visible at the above location.
3 mill marked.
4 The location given by Booth is certainly correct (see PRN 5024). It seems possible that a second watermill existed at this location, although a field examination is necessary.
5 Same as 5024. There aren't two mills.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Warwickshire Watermills
Author/originator: Booth D T N
Date: 1978
Page Number: 83-4
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: WM
Author/originator: JH
Date: 1983
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 4252
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Map
Title: 2500 1905
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1905
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Pers. Comm. Magnus Alexander
Author/originator: Magnus Alexander
Date: 2006
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: R.C.Hingley personal comment
Author/originator: Hingley R C
Date: 1989
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source WM Warwickshire Museum Aerial Photograph Collection. A collection of oblique and vertical aerial photographs and taken by various organisations and individuals, including the Royal Airforce, The Potato Board, Warwickshire Museum. The collection is held at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
technique Earthwork Earthworks can take the form of banks, ditches and mounds. They are usually created for a specific purpose. A bank, for example, might be the remains of a boundary between two or more fields. Some earthworks may be all that remains of a collapsed building, for example, the grassed-over remains of building foundations.

In the winter, when the sun is lower in the sky than during the other seasons, earthworks have larger shadows. From the air, archaeologists are able to see the patterns of the earthworks more easily. Earthworks can sometimes be confusing when viewed at ground level, but from above, the general plan is much clearer.

Archaeologists often carry out an aerial survey or an earthwork survey to help them understand the lumps and bumps they can see on the ground.
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period Medieval 1066 AD to 1539 AD (the 11th century AD to the 16th century AD)

The medieval period comes after the Saxon period and before the post medieval period.

The Medieval period begins in 1066 AD.
This was the year that the Normans, led by William the Conqueror (1066 – 1087), invaded England and defeated Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in East Sussex.
The Medieval period includes the first half of the Tudor period (1485 – 1603 AD), when the Tudor family reigned in England and eventually in Scotland too.

The end of the Medieval period is marked by Henry VIII’s (1509 – 1547) order for the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the years running up to 1539 AD. The whole of this period is sometimes called the Middle Ages.
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monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument BUILDING * A structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for occupants or contents. Use specific type where known. back
monument MILL * A factory used for processing raw materials. Use more specific mill type where known. See also TEXTILE MILL, for more narrow terms. back
monument TAIL RACE * A water channel leading from a water wheel. back
monument INDUSTRIAL * This is the top term for the class. See INDUSTRIAL Class List for narrow terms. back
monument SILK MILL * A mill used for the mechanized processing of silk. back
monument PAPER MILL * A factory where paper is made. Use with power type where known. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument LEAT * Artificial water channel, usually leading to a mill. back
monument WATERMILL * A mill whose machinery is driven by water. back
monument EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record