Lyme Regis
Parish Lyme Regis
O.S Grid Reference SY 334 923 [Lat 50.7264 - Long -2.9449]
Nearest contour height 107m
Topography Fairly good - on slope facing south east
Archaeology
Earliest Dating 1565 (Will - see below)
Records Will (see below)
Documents
Maps
Early maps
Ogilby 1675
Taylor 1765
Tithe Map (c1840) Plot 379 "Windmill Close"
Owner : George Holland; Occupier : Joseph Lakey (2/2/30)
1st Edition OS map
2nd Edition OS map 1905 : Plot (size 2.759) still as TA map above.
Present OS map
Google Maps
The Windmill
The Millers Possibly occupier noted in TA map / record above
Present Site Condition : Photograph (RC 1997) showing main road from Seaton down into Lyme Regis with Clappentail Lane branching to the left. Windmill plot was behind tree in centre. Plaque marking Morgan's Grave is in traffic island in foreground.
Notes and comments :
This windmill can now be dated as being in operation before 1565 and as a tucking or fulling windmill used to process flax / hemp grown locally to Lyme Regis.
1565 - 19th May - Will of Nicholas DAYE of Lyme Regis in Dorset, merchant, mentions brother Robert DAY, the house wherein my brother Thomas DAY dwelleth, sister Alice COCKERAM, my three gardens lying between the house of Silvester HAYNE and the house of Thomas PENEY, sister Jane BRUER, to Robert DEYE, my brother, the lease of the tuckin mill with the ground belonging to the same, and also the lease of the grete closse at the winde mill, Agnes DARE the daughter of my sister Jone, John LONGE, Witnesses Thomas DARE, Robert DAYE, William SPIRINGE,
Probate 12th Nov 1565.
(Source : Public Record Office reference PROB11/48 - England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858 for Nicholai Daye, PROB 11: Will Registers. 1384-1566. Piece 48: Morrisson, Quire Numbers 1-35, Crymes, Quire Numbers 1-34 (1565-1566))
Details of this Will was kindly sent to me by Jillian Lea in August 2023 - the process of tucking or fulling in the Lyme Regis area is described in detail in the numerous water driven mills in the town itself (please use the link below)
With regard to location, the only information is a field-name Windmill Close appears in the 1844 Tithe Award (ref 379)[1] and the associated TA map of 1841 shows this as being to the north west of the town near Morgan's Grave. The site has modern housing built on it now and is the southern portion of land between Clappentail Lane (to the north) and Upper Westhill Road (to the south). The land borders the old Roman road out of Lyme towards Seaton. The site is high above the town and slopes towards the south east not being the best windmill site.[2]
This is the only record to date of a windmill in West Dorset.
[1] Tithe Map of Lyme Regis (DCRO ref T/LR) Map 1841; Apportionment 1844. Owner at this time was George Holland and occupier was Joseph Lakey (2 acres 2/30 - arable)
[2] From correspondence with Mr Gollop of Lyme Regis and a site visit by the author (RC). Morgan's Grave has a small plaque on the triangular grassed traffic island at the top of Clappentail Lane. It notes that the grave is probably that of a C17th suicide. (see photo above)