Category:Windmills

From Historical Hastings

There were, at various times, at least forty windmills dotted around Hastings, the earliest recorded one being on the West Hill in 1410; this leading to no less than sixteen Mills being recorded on the West Hill alone[1]!

The below is reproduced with permission and the author suggests this naming/numbering scheme be used for mills in the area to avoid confusion, For example, the 1568-1590 “Pryory Mill” could be referenced also as Mill 4/3 or 4/2a - the first number denoting the main area/grouping shown in the table below

[ 1 ]

The Windmills of Hastings and Environs

This listing is taken from the Mills and Millers of Hastings and Environs by Bob Wilcock, and was completed in July 2024. For full details of the book e-mail [email protected]

Mills are identified by the name of the miller or by the name by which it was known.

Aquamarine shading indicates where separate references may relate to the same mill.

Distinction between mill owner and miller is not always clear, but identified owners who did not trade as millers are in square brackets.

Grid references are rounded to the nearest 10; those in italics are calculated for older mills.

1. West Hill, St Mary-in-the Castle Parish

Despite mills being well known, no previous publication has accurately given names and dates.

Number Erected Standing Gone Grid Ref (rounded) Name (Principle millers) [Owners]
1 1430-31 Salerne/Brenhesley
2 1538-40 Lane's Mill
3 2a 1540-68-90 Northmill (William Lane)
4 2b 1594-1712< The Windmill of Hastings
(Boy(e)s, Fancomb(e),Akehurst, Phipps, Allen, Goodwin, Neale)
5 2c/4a >1713 1829 TQ82310 09990 English’s Mill
(Wenham, Ticehurst, Woodhams, Hayward)
6 1612 Myllegrene Mill (Wood/Martin)
7 1642 1737 TQ82210 09840? Castle Mill
(Laby, Fuller/Shoesmith, Norwood, Jaret,Goodwin, English, Carswell)
8 1753 1816 TQ82210 109840 Barnfield Mill
(Nevell, Cruttenden, Carswell)
9 1808 1874 TQ82250 09960 Carswell’s Great Mill
(Carswell, Breeds Bone Mill, [Ward], Williams West Hill Mills, Smith
10 1816 1874 TQ82260 09910 Carswell’s Smock Mill
(Carswell, Stonham, [Ward], Williams West Hill Mills, Smith)
11 1823 1866 TQ82210 09940 Tutt’s Longfield Mill
(Tutt, Strickland, Williams, Woolgar)

2. West Hill, St Clement’s Parish

Number Erected Standing Gone Grid ref Name (Principal millers) [Owners]
1 1464 Uncertain
2 1536-8 Hall's Mill
3 1608 Lowe's Mill
4 c1612 1619 Marlingfield Mill (Braban, Slutter)
5 1799 1838 TQ82400 110170 French’s Smock Mill
French, Eldridge, [Coleman], Ticehurst, Crisford

3. East Hill (St George’s)

Number Erected Standing Gone Grid ref Name (Principal millers) [Owners]
1 1538-1606 St George’s Mill (Pyndar, Arnold, Lane, Russel)
[ 2 ]

4. St Michael's Parish, Cuckoo Hill, and St Mary Magdalen

There are significant problems after 1722 with the evidence, which is incomplete and conflicting. Entries from (5) to (8) represent the most likely of the various possibilities, but should not be taken as definitive.

Number Erected Standing Gone Name (Principle millers) [Owners]
1 Before 1444 "Marlyngfeld" location uncertain
[John Prior]
2 1536 “Seynt Michaells”
3 2a? 1568-90 "Pryory Mill"
4 2b? 1628 [Eversfield]
5 (1718?)
(1722)		 Before 1767 (Carswell, Pickerden)
6 1768-1772 1786 ? Priory Mill (Carswell, Tilley, Foster)
7 6a? 1795 1808 Priory Mill (Carswell)
8 1778 1800 Deudney’s Mill [owner]
(French, Hilder, Pilcher, Relf)
9 1578 St Mary Magdalen (Thomas Flusher)
10 1609/10 St Mary Magdalen (George Dennett)
11 1642-78 Westmill, St Mary Magdalen [Eversfield]

5. Hollington (St Leonards)

Number Standing Gone Grid ref Name (Principle millers) [Owners]
1 1628-9 TQ78560 10140 "Swans" [Eversfield]
2 1a 1645-8 (Thomas Bourner)
3 1698 c1712 Vallance's Mill (Vallance, Neal(1))

6. Silverhill (St Leonards)

Number Erected Gone Grid ref Name (Principle millers) [Owners]
1 1838 1865 TQ79760 10560 Tivoli Mill [Harman] (Baker, Thorpe,Draper)
2 1866 1941(1966) TQ79760 10560 Silverhill Smock Mill (Draper, Barford)

7. Baldslow

Number Erected Standing Gone Grid ref Name (Principle millers) [Owners]
1 1623 Hundred Mill
2 1801 1855 TQ80030 13100 Hayward's Post Mill
3 1856 1916
(1926)		 TQ80030 13100 Hayward’s Smock Mill, Harrow Mill(Hayward, [Hankey], Jenner, Richmond)
[ 3 ]

8. Fairlight

Number Erected Standing Gone Grid ref Name (Principal millers) [Owners]
1 1642 (John Watte)
2 1578-99 (John Downton)
3 1637 (Martin,Preston)
4 1723 1819 TQ84360 12070 Fairlight Post Mill
5 1819 1869 TQ84340 11890 Fairlight Smock or Tower Mill
(Milward, Crisford)

Guestling

Location of early mills is uncertain. The earliest reference found to a mill at Pickham is 1595, and that was probably a watermill. The first specific mention of a windmill (and a watermill) is 1664

Number Erected Standing Gone Grid ref Name (Principal millers) [Owners]
1 1279 (Henry de Wulmerton)
2 1447 (John Podelonde) [watermill?]
3 1567 (Thomas Edwardes)
4 1664-1810 Before 1822 TQ86130 15470 Windmill of Guestling (Pickham Windmill)
(Beck/Back (water & wind?), Spray, Dean, Hunt, Sharpe, Crunden, Cloke)
5 1627 Nichola Walters
6 5a 1640 John Woodman
7 5b 1669-1675 1709 Batchellor's Mill [John Batchellor]
8 1826 1867 TQ84200 12370 Bachelor’s Bump post mill (Richardson, Tyrrell, Beal(e), Cloke, Crisford, Amoore & Thomson)
9 1859 1919 TQ84030 12680 Down/Fairlight/Jenner’s smock mill (Crisford, Stonham, Jenner)

10. Ore

Number Erected Standing Gone Grid ref Name (Principal millers) [Owners]
1 1361 Manor of Ore
2 1558 Cheney's Mill (Goodhewe)
3 1816 1900 TQ83450 11670 Ore White Mill (Edmonds, Henbrey, Stonham, [Ward], Amoore, Beck, Draper, Ashbee, Cheale) Cheale’s Mill
4 1855 1890 (1917) TQ83880 11710 Ore Down Mill (Black Mill) (Thomas, Amoore & Thomson, Noakes, Burfoot, Mills)

The NGR positions were converted to lat/lon by means of the 'Grid Reference' website.

Map showing windmill locations

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References & Notes

  1. ↑ Mills and Millers of Hastings and Environs Bob Wilcock 2025
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