Weymouth - The Fleet Drainage Windmill(s)

Possible windmill drainage pumps used in connection with an unsuccessful attempt to drain the Fleet lagoon between Wyke Regis and Abbotsbury starting in 1630.

The Fleet lagoon was dammed at a location still named on the current OS map as the "works" near the narrows to the west of smallmouth where the fleet adjoins Portland Harbour. Various notes in historic documents relating to this project mention pumps and mills :

Erect any mill or mills within both the said Fleetest called East and West Fleete as they or any of them shall think meet for the more commodious and better draining of both the said Fleetest or any part thereof. (Raishley Papers 38a)

The use of such drainage windmills was well established and used extensively in East Anglia and to an even larger extent by the Dutch.

(Sources : A 17th century attempt to drain the Fleet : Dorset County Magazine Vol 2 1970-71 article by Eric C F Bird

also :

Dorset Proceedings 124, 2002, 35-43 by Gordon Le Pard)

A full account of the latter research can be accessed via the link below :

http://alsystems.algroup.co.uk/abb_heritage/results/fleet/The_Draining_of_the_Fleet.pdf