Weymouth - Wyke Regis

Early maps No indications

Ogilby 1675 No indications

Taylor 1765 No indications

C17th Melcombe Regis Map constructed by E S Byrant^[1] from old survey records has no indications.

Tithe Map (c1840) (below) Windmill field names recorded Windmill Field and Windmill Pit

1st Edition OS map No indications

Present OS map No indications

Google Maps

The Windmill Probably a post mill

The Millers Not known

Present site condition Devenish Gardens OP Home (Devenish Trust)

There is a mound behind No 1 Portwey Close ??

Notes and comments

Amongst property owned by Gilbert de Clave, Earl of Gloucester and Hereford on 8th September 1314 in Wyke

.....also a windmill which is worth yearly 20s ^[2].

This was during a prosperous period of Weymouth's history when it had some 260 Burgages and a revenue of £20 12s 9d. all suggesting a flourishing port. Wool is mentioned as being a major export commodity^[3]. The Patent Rolls of 1316 record William Welyfedd "King's merchant of Melcombe" bringing in grain from Gascony.

The Abbot of Netley in 1311-12 demised all his houses in Melcombe except a solar and cellar in which they stored their grain. The Dorset Lay Subsidy Roll of 1332 lists 31 names in Wyke Regis. This period of growth was brought to an abrupt halt by the infamous Black Death entered the country via Melcombe (just across the river Wey) in 1348.

In 1646, The Dorset Protestation Returns list 119 names in Wyke Regis. Amongst the placenames mentioned in the Minutes of Weymouth & Melcombe Regis October 1646^[4] ................The churchway near the windmill.

Earlier in 1628, churchway is mentioned^[5] and the way up to Weymouth chapel Le Chapplestayers. A Chapel of Ease is recorded in eccl tax of 1291. A chapel dedicated to St Nicholas is mentioned in a patent May 5th 1442. Stood south of Weymouth town on a high hill overlooking the town and haven. Ascent to it by 70 steps.

During the Civil War the chapel was converted to a fort and suffered severely during various small engagements. Pillar stones from the Weymouth Chapel remained by the south door of Holy Trinity school which was built on the site in the C19th. An order for playninge of the ground was made in 1658 after the Civil war - the pillar stones were probably buried then. The school was destroyed during the second world War.

The Salisbury Journal ^[6]of 1st October 1787 records the sale of Windmill Close, Wyke Regis.

The Tithe maps and apportionment maps drawn up in 1841/2 for the parishes of Weymouth & Wyke Regis show 3 fields adjacent to Wyke Road opposite the present day Portwey Hospital site which have windmill names : (from east to west)

Windmill pitt (Wyke Regis TA 216); part of Windmill field (Weymouth TA 51 & 51a)

Millstone find : In July 2002, a millstone (in approximately 15 pieces) was unearthed in a garden in Russell Avenue (to the west of the site and off to the north side of Wyke Road). A report was made by Mr Niall Roberts. Millstone approx 1200mm (48”) in diameter, clockwise rotation & probably a runner stone - actual source and type of stone has not been identified as yet.

Footnotes :

^[1] E S Byrant A Map of C17th Melcombe Regis hand drawn copy in Weymouth Library (found RC 11/97)

WL ref L912 331 BRI

^[2] Fry's Dorset Inquistions post mortem 286. In A History of Wyke Regis written and published by local

historian Doug Hollings (1997) this is recorded as being in 1307 ?

^[3] Hutchins II p447

^[4] Moule, Charters of Weymouth [DL] 1883; Vol III [110] p77/78

^[5] Moule, Charters of Weymouth [DL] 1883; Vol VII [18]

^[6] From an extract by Ken Kirsopp via Mills Research Group March 1999.