Buckhorn Weston

The Windmill Almost certainly a post mill due to early date.

The Millers No records found

Present site condition Site location uncertain

Notes and comments : This village, just to the south east of the county border to the west of Gillingham, is the site of the earliest known record of a windmill in Dorset.

10 Dorset - Muriella who was wife of Emericus del Orcherd V Galfrid de Maundervill on a plea of 1/3rd part of 1 virgate land and 1/4th part of one windmill in Weston which she claims as her dower. He did not come to Trinity in 3 weeks.

Michaelmas 50/51 Henry III 1266/7¹.

At this very early date (1266/7), the mill will have certainly been a post mill possibly with a simple peg and strut base. The village is recorded as Westone in early times with the surrounding lands being enclosed prior to 1641.

Isaac Taylor's 1765 map of Dorset interestingly has the word post to the south west of the village which could refer to an old mill post. However the village is at the foot of a limestone escarpment some 300/400 feet above sea level and the area now named Shave Hill on the higher ground to the north east of the village seems an ideal windmill site.

There are no references to any windmill place names on the C19th Tithe Apportionments with one plot on the TA map to the east of the village being named Higher Mount . A water Mill named Bye Mill was located just south of the village on Filly Brook.

1 Dorset Records (DCM E2) Curia Regis Rolls 1236 1272, Roll 176