Milton Abbas

Tithe Map (c1840) Oddly, no mention of a windmill plot

1st Edition OS map "Windmill Ash"

Present OS map "Windmill clump"

The Windmill Represented as a post mill in all the icons and highly probable due to dating

The Millers No records

Present site condition Nothing visible apart from a BT depot named "windmill clump"

Notes and comments : The present village, some 7 miles south west of Blandford, was completely resited by Lord Milton as a massive estate planning exercise to the plans of Capability Brown and Sir Williams Chambers between 1773 - 1780. The original medieval village of Milton was a settlement of about 100 dwellings set in the valley to the south of the Abbey. The valley is surrounded by higher pasture lands and the woods largely planted during the resiting of the village. In Medieval times, there were close links with the abbey at Cerne Abbas and Milton was on the main Dorchester to London Road. Domesday (1086) records a water mill worth 15s annually.

The construction date of the windmill is unknown but it seems probable that it was built in the latter part of the 15th century to serve the Abbey and the original village. A post windmill is depicted on the Rebus of the Abbot William de Middleton and he may have had it built as part of his rebuilding programme. This mill rebus appeared in several locations in the village. In all cases, part of a windmill and a tun (barrel) are used as icons to depict the name of its bearer.^[1]

It would appear that Abbot William de Middleton (c1455 - c1525) came from a wealthy family and he was able to undertake an ambitious building programme to greatly improve the rather run down buildings that existed when he became Abbot in 1482. He put the seal to a deed endowing the free grammar school of Milton Abbas in 1521 and probably financed part or all from his own pocket. He resigned as Abbot in 1525 or may have been forced out by Henry VIII's Lord Chancellor Cardinal Wolsey at the start of the suppression of monasteries. The monastery was finally dissolved in 1539 and was acquired by Sir John Tregonwell who had played a part in its demise.

The buildings themselves did not suffer greatly although there was some demolition and great sales of the Abbey possessions. A 15th century rebus was once on the Still House north of the Abbey which was pulled down in 1753 and also on the Abbey barn prior to 1771 when it was rebuilt.^[2] A carved stone rebus was on the north wall of the south aisle of the Abbey Church and is dated 1514 (the 4 being shown as half the figure 8)^[3]. It also featured on the vaulting of the transcepts and crossing of this church. The rebus also appeared in the Abbot's Oriel and on a gateway at Manor Farm, in nearby Delcome (north of the Abbey) dating from 1515. The rebus also appeared on the stone porch in the Abbot's Hall dated 1498 and on a spandrel of a roof truss of this Hall (see photograph). ^[4]

Today, as the writer's photograph above shows, the rebus is to be found along with other designs in the school refectory on a stone pier between high level windows. There does not appear to be any sign of the icon dating from 1498 on an Irish oak screen^[5] in same the refectory.

Whilst the name Windmill appears on Taylor's map to the south east of the village. Windmill Clump is found on the 1st edition 6inch OS map and the present day map. Windmill Ash appears on the 1st edition OS map at the edge of Milton Park. Luccombe or Windmill Ashes Farm takes its name from trees on top of hill north of this farm. All these locations appear to be at the same site at the above grid reference.

Strangely, the windmill site / plot is not recorded in any C19th Tithe Apportionment listings. There is mention of the old foundations of the windmill still being visible at the site which is near the present village cricket pitch.

In his Old Roads of Dorset, Ronald Good notes that the present village is roughly on the line of an old road that ran from the southern part of the town to Whatcombe (by pt 588) where there was once a windmill.^[6]

Nov 1996 - Letter sent to British Telecom by writer as a BT depot now stands near this site and is known as windmill clump depot ! Certainly a good open siting for a mill now with a clump of mature trees. BT do not have any information on it ! The present exchange dates from the 1970's and they have no records of their earlier building on the site.^[7]

Notes :

^[1] Wailes, Rex The English Windmill, 1954, p190.

^[2] Way, M J, The windmills, watermills & horsemills of Dorset (1959) p4 (unpublished paper DCM)

^[3] DNH & AS Proceedings Vol XXVI (1905) p200 Some Milton Antiquities by Rev H Pentin MA FSA

^[4] RCHM, National Monuments Record, Swindon, Photograph ref M136 CC84/27, Milton Abbey,

Abbot's Hall roof - south spandrel truss VII (west end of truss). [RC 3/97]

^[5] ibid Way MJ

^[6] Good R, The Old Roads of Dorset 1966, p103. Other notes in Hutchins 3rd Edn Vol IV p399.

^[7] Letter from BT (Bournemouth Nov 1996)

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