Mosterton Flax Mill and Factory. Mosterton

Transcription

1 Mosterton Flax Mill and Factory Mosterton Duncan Harris (January 2015) (I wish to thank many people from the museum and the village who have provided the information for this document) 1

2 Mosterton Flax Mill and Factory (sometimes called Symonds Mill) History of mill Originally a water grist mill first identified in The extract from the tithe map shows what may have been the original mill in green. The pink is the new manager s house and the grey the extended flax mill. The mullioned window section (see photograph below) seems to be the original building. some villagers wove cloth in their homes which was originally sold undyed and undressed, but this was prohibited in Subsequently there were a number of dyeing sheds and flax, grown locally, was processed at the mill for many purposes including the making of sailcloth 5. Flax spinning had started by about 1820 (see sale notice 1881). It had many changes of ownership. It was shown as closed in1871 and then had a new owner with William Toby as the occupier, before being bought by William Toby in about 1880 after a fire. He built an extension with new steam engines and a new water wheel, but went bankrupt shortly afterwards. The mill reverted to a grist mill, being converted to a water turbine in about 1950, in the position of the water wheel, and to electricity in the 1960s before eventually closing. Mosterton Mill, by the infant River Axe, is still standing within a more modern industrial estate. In an 1840 trade directory John Woodcock is described as a flax spinner there, and a later 1880 version reported that 'some flax-spinning is carried on'. The mill was then being run as the Mosterton Mill Co, whose proprietor was William Toby, flax and tow spinner. The following year it presumably closed, for all its plant and machinery were sold off. It was described on the sale papers as Line, Twine, Flax and Tow Mills 28 (see below). 2

3 Owners 1788 water grist mill 6. C1820 Start of flax spinning (see sale notice 1881) 1830? Peter Smith Payne Will of Abraham Hull of Misterton, sail cloth manufacturee. He bequests freehold of factory and mill in Mosterton which he lately purchased from Peter Smith Payne Abraham Hull, Manufacturer Occupiers John and Charles Clay, owner Amelia Hull house, factory, garden and premises. Owner Amelia Hull, occupier John Clay and Charles Clay John Clay all my share in the machinery of the mill and premises at Mosterton to john Woodcock and Henry Smith (both of Mosterton) in trust to pay income to his wife and after her death to his two daughters John Woodcock, 57, Flax and tow employer 22 John Rendall trade directories Descendants of the Hull family living in New Zealand say the mill at Mosterton was sold to John Roper for $2400. Mary Roper, Hull s daughter Mary is thought to have married John Roper. They had two sons John James ( a solicitor in Bridport) and William John Rendall, 45, flax and tow spinner March J Rendall of Mosterton Mill Rendell August factory to let Sale by auction of machinery, on 5 Ocotber census mill closed 1 3

4 1873 Owner J Roper, Occupier W Toby Toby Toby went bankrupt The Bankruptcy Act, 1869 In the County Court of Somersetshire, holden at Yeovil. In the Matter of Proceedings for Liquidation by Arrangement or Composition with Creditors, instituted by William Henry Weadon Toby, of Beaminster, in the county of Dorset, but carrying on business at Mosterton, in the said county of Dorset, as a Flax and Hemp Spinner and manufacturer, trading as the Mosterton Mill Company owner shown as Henry Wheadon (note the other names of William Toby!) 29 July Mosterton mill, factory, houses and land for sale directory no entry 1 4

5 Location Stands behind current high building used for servicing large lorries on the right coming from Beaminster after the bridge over the river (see map of leat). OS Explorer 116 ST Processes See machinery section for machinery that was sold in

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7 Products Flax and tow spinning, warping. Stabling in the advertisements suggests that they transported their own goods. Power Sources Originally water: Overshot water wheel about ft. diameter with 4-5ft width behind current mullioned window with wheel about half below ground; in use up to about 70 years ago. Sluice gate for water to wheel, note width of water wheel from buttress on right. Photograph by Duncan Harris 01/10/2013 Mark on wall where water wheel went. Photograph by Duncan Harris 01/10/2013 7

8 The water wheel was behind the first mullioned window 26,27 Map of leat from Tithe Map The river appears to have been modified to lead into the leat. The outflow goes underground for a distance. All the river appears to go into the leat. The original course of the river would have been used for overflow and when the mill was not running. The leat at some time (possibly 1880) is turned through 90 0 and goes into the long building on the left of the leat. There were two sluice gates on the weir. In later years the embankment had leaks caused by rats digging into it, holes plugged with clay 27. Later (c 1880) steam using 35hp horizontal condensing steam engine, 10 hp high pressure condensing steam engine with double flue Cornish boiler 6ft 6in diameter, 27ft long 7. 8

9 River Leat Mill 9

10 Remnant of leat which did a right angle turn to the right under what is now concrete to enter the sluice gate shown in the earlier photograph. Photograph by Duncan Harris 01/10/

11 Employees 1844 Charles Hoare, foreman of factory John Woodcock, 57, Flax and tow employer 5 hacklers, 25 mill workers John Rendall, 45, flax and tow spinner; also listed: 4 flax dressers, 2 weavers, 18 flax spinners (all named) employed in flax factory, 4 flax dressers, Flax mill manager (William Balfour), Fireman in flax factory (James Morrin) flax spinners, 1 twine spinner, 2 flax hackler, 1 flax dresser, 2 factory hand, manager (William Smith) 25. Putting these roles into a table: Employer Hecklers 5 2 Mill/ factory workers Flax dressers Flax spinners 18 9 Weavers 2 Twine spinner 1 Fireman 1 Total Clearly the activities at the mill changed over this period. It is unlikely that the small number of hecklers could feed the rest of the workforce, so either =did the higherlevel job for the rest of the year. The following at South Perrott may also have worked here; females, 2 males all say flax factory ages females 0 males, one tow factory, one flax mil 1891 none Customers Possibly Crewkerne area sail cloth mills. Landscape legacies Derelict buildings are still intact with the leat channel but no water. 11

12 Photographs Photograph of Patrick Diment s grandfather with the mill in the background (Taken about 80 years ago) 26. Remainder of the mill buildings alongside modern buildings

13 Other end of building showing manager s house and other end of mill 26 State of mill buildings in 2013: the half open door on the right is the entrance to the boiler house Photograph by Duncan Harris 01/10/

14 Arch under which boiler is supposed to have been (see sale document for 6ft 6in diameter Cornish Boiler Photograph by Duncan Harris 01/10/2013 Rear view of mill building, the ground floor of which is underground, so always wet walls. Photograph by Duncan Harris 01/10/

15 Manager s House Photograph by Duncan Harris 01/10/2013 Remnants of the stable building where the horses were kept, the blocked up doorway is at the bottom. The remnants of the old walls can be seen inside the workshop on the other side. Photograph by Duncan Harris 01/10/

16 Inside of mullioned window showing remnant of old floor level above. Photograph by Duncan Harris 01/10/2013 Original roof structure Photograph by Duncan Harris 01/10/

17 Appendix 1 William Toby Family history c.1790 John Toby senior born Kenton, Devon. [Parish 7 miles SSE of Exeter, includes village of Starcross] 1812 John Toby marries at Kenton Nancy (or Betty) Wheaton [Note spelling - not Wheadon] 1816 John Toby junior born. Kenton 1819 Caroline Wheaton Toby born, Kenton, father John, mother Betty Wheaton William Henry Wheaton Toby born, Kenton, father John, mother Nancy (or Betty!) 1841 None of the above can be found Exeter 22, John Toby senior aged.61, widow, retired surveyor John Toby junior aged.35, unmarried, solicitor Caroline Toby a.31, unmarried William Toby a.25, unmarried, veterinary surgeon out of practice John Toby senior appears to have died but his death cannot be pinpointed Exeter 23, John Toby junior, solicitor + wife.elizabeth aged.40, born Exeter. Dawlish, Caroline Toby a.41, unmarried, visitor. Crewkerne, William Toby a.35, unmarried, Sailcloth manufacturer & flax spinner?yarn Mills employing 360 hands & farmer of 51 acres employing.5 men 3 boys Toby & Hayward at Whatley Mill Hine p William Toby mentioned among the "zealous Masonic townsmen" Hine 1869 London Gazette. Partnership dissolved between Richard Hayward & William Toby of the Greenham Mill Company at Greenham & Beaminster Mills, Richard Hayward to carry on the business William H. W. Toby aged.45, unmarried, Beaminster 24, East Street, Landowner, flax & tow spinner & weaver & bleacher. Farmer. Caroline W. Toby sister, a.52, unmarried William Toby installed as Senior Warden of the Beaminster Lodge. Hine 1873 & 1878 William Toby installed as Worshipful Master of the Beaminster Lodge Neither William nor Caroline can be found - are they abroad? 17

18 1881 Bankruptcy of William Toby of Beaminster but carrying on business at Mosterton as a flax and hemp spinner & manufacturer. Solicitor acting for the debtor - John Toby Starcross 33, Kenton, Devon. William Toby, retired sail cloth manufacturer. Caroline Toby, sister, living on own means 1892 Death of Caroline Toby 1901 Starcross 34, Kenton, William Toby a.75, boarder with a solicitor's clerk & family 1911 Starcross 35, Kenton, William Toby a.85, boarder with a carpenter & family 1914 St.Thomas' Registration District Death of William Toby a.88. It is not clear from where the Toby money came. From being an unemployed vet in 1851 to employing 360+ people in 1861 is quite a jump - did he inherit from his father at this time? Mosterton Mill Flax, Rendell 1867, Toby census flax mill closed, 1881 The bankruptcy Act William Henry wheadon Toby of Beaminster "carrying on business at Mosterton... as a Flax and hemp Spinner and Manufacturer trading as the Mosterton Mill Company" put up for sale Times April owner shown as Henry Wheadon (note the other names of William Toby!) 18

19 Notice of the dissolution of the partnership between Richard Hayward and William Henry Wheaton Toby on 1st July 1868 carrying on business under the style or form of the Greenham Mill Company Yarn, Thread and twine Spinners at Greenham and Beaminster Mills in the parishes of Crewkerne and Beaminster" 4. (As for Greenham Mill) Whatley Mill 1865 Toby (and) Hayward39, Richard Hayward and William Henry Wheaton Toby 31 Greenham mill, Drimpton 1869 Richard Hayward and William Henry Wheaton Toby 31 London Gazette Feb Notice of the dissolution of the partnership between Richard Hayward and William Henry Wheaton Toby on 1st July 1868 carrying on business under the style or form of the Greenham Mill Company Yarn, Thread and twine Spinners at Greenham and Beaminster Mills in the parishes of Crewkerne and Beaminster" 31. (As for Whatley Mill.) 19

20 Appendix 2 Later life of the mill Still in existence in 1959 (owner S Chaffey) and continued to be owned by the Chaffey family until it was closed. There is a tablet in Netherhay chapel about the Chaffeys 29. Mill was a grist mill, with two sets of stones. In the 1940s it was driven by a water wheel of about 12ft diameter that was overshot, being mainly underground (behind the mullioned window shown in the photographs); converted to a water turbine in the 1950s. There were two sluices on the least, the one nearer the mill being the one most usually used. The bank was sometimes dug into by rats, so that clay plugs were necessary to stop it leaking. It was converted to electricity on 1960s 29. Water turbine in original water wheel sump Photograph by Duncan Harris 01/10/2013 Armfield Engineering of Fordingbridge made the turbine 29 20

21 The mill was used for: grinding barley and wheat; crushing oats (very noisy) with a bruiser that crushed to oats between two metal wheels; straw and chaff required the machine to stop and be cleaned out); cracking maize (kibbler). In the 1960s Mr Chaffey produced dairy feed pellets, where steam and molasses were used, the pellets in cube from were bagged after being coole 29. On the floor above the bottom mullioned windows were the bruiser and the kibbler 30. Ladder to upstairs by larger sliding door. Photograph by Duncan Harris 01/10/2013 The ladder led upstairs from near the entrance to the old mill. There was space to the right with a clear gap to the upstairs. An elevator of the type used for agricultural work was used to take the sacks upstairs. Here three teenage lads, including Patrick Diment, had a competition to see who could throw a sack highest on a stepped pile 30. The grain had come by lorry; the grain was blown upstairs above the old stables 30. There were hoppers in the gap between the mill and the stables where the lorries were loaded with the milled grain

22 Door out of back of mill beyond water wheel that led into the kitchen of the manger s house. Photograph by Duncan Harris Grinding wheels at Mosterton Mill c 1930 with Sydney Diment (on the left) 26 22

23 Appendix 3 (Fred Cox data on mill) 23

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27 References 1 Pullman, G Book of the Axe. (p 156) 2 House of Commons Parliamentary Papers On-line, 1839(41). Return of Mill and Factories which have neglected to transmit Returns to Inspectors, : Number of Persons employed in Cotton, Woollen, Worsted, Flax and Silk Factories of United Kingdom, p Dewar, H S L (1960) The Windmills, Watermills and Horse Mills, Dorset Proceedings DNHAAS, 82, pg 128 (Appendix 1, Watermills W Dorset) 4 The London Gazette, May 13, 1881, notices of bankruptcy 5 WI (1984), Village History of Mosterton 6 Mosterton Mill, etc. Indenture. Dorset History Centre document D/SBS:A/T33 7 The Times (London, England), Saturday, Apr 23, 1881; pg. 20; Issue Mosterton tithe map and apportionment Dorset History Centre document T/MOS 9 London Gazette May National Archives PROB11/1912 (from Fred Cox 11/07/2013) 11 Parish register1835 (from Fred Cox 11/07/2013) 12 Parish register 1844 (from Fred Cox 11/07/2013) 13 Dorset History Centre will of John Clay (from Fred Cox 11/07/2013) 14 Trade directories (from Fred Cox 11/07/2013) 15 Private letters to Fred Cox, notes in Fred Cox summary. (from Fred Cox 11/07/2013) 16 National Newspaper Archive net site (from Fred Cox 11/07/2013) 17 National Newspaper Archive srte net (either in Sherborne mercury or Western Gazette) (from Fred Cox 11/07/2013) 18 Bridport News 24 August 1870 (from Fred Cox 11/07/2013) 19 Bridport News 30 September sale by auction 5 October (from Fred Cox 11/07/2013) 20 Church rate 1873 (from Fred Cox 11/07/2013) 27

28 21 Bridport News 29 July (from Fred Cox 11/07/2013) census (data for Mosterton from Fred Cox 11/07/2013) census (data for Mosterton from Fred Cox 11/07/2013) census (data for Mosterton from Fred Cox 11/07/2013) census (data for Mosterton from Fred Cox 11/07/2013) 26 Photographs from Patrick Diment 27 Information for discussion with Patrick Diment: He, his father and grandfather worked at the mill when it was a grist mill 28 Beaminster Museum publication Hanging by a Thread Our Flax and Hemp Heritage pg From notes taken with discussion with Patrick Diment September He, his father and his grandfather all worked at the mill. 29 From notes taken with discussion with Patrick Diment at visit to site October Marie Eedle s handwritten notes. Copies held in Beaminster Museum 31 London Gazette Feb census census census census 28