Ashford Mill rent 1701 : £20

Thank you for your comments on my “mesmerizing murmuration” yesterday. If I can, I will reply to all of you, but at the moment it is very difficult. I have read every comment, they really are too generous.

This Blip may explain why.

We live on and own an ancient mill estate which is intact and exceedingly rare. I am wanting to refurbish the ancient mill and the Peak District National Park Authority are not making our planning application easy at all and are being very thorough.

As part of our application, amongst other surveys, they want some history, which no one has ever researched.

We have employed a firm of conservation architects who usually work on old very important grand buildings. They made an appointment to visit Chatsworth House Archives to research the mill as they thought that it was probably originally owned by the Duke of Devonshire. The archivist has so far produced documents back to 1700 and our next visit he will have records of 16th century and earlier.

We have also found there are older records at Hardwick Hall and possibly Haddon Hall.

So far, we know our house was here in 1602 and the mill itself since at least the Domesday book. We are piecing together all the millers who have been here via the rent records.

This image is the rent book for 1701. If you look towards the bottom you will see the mill rent was £20 for the year. This was a fortune. The mill must have been a real hive of industry.

The Duke collected £531 7 shillings and 9 pence for rent in Ashford alone!! How the rich get richer☺

It is very interesting but long, concentrated work. The ancient maps are gorgeous!! We reckon these records have probably been untouched since they were deposited in the archives over 300 years ago.

I have to transcribe quite a lot of the documents. At least I don’t charge myself☺

I HAVE JUST NOTICED AFTER I PUBLISHED THE BLIP, THAT TO SEE THE FIGURES, YOU WILL HAVE TO VIEW THIS BLIP LARGE