PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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By means of a deed dated May 8th (1525) (17 Henry VIII), John Wise of Sydenham, lord of the manor of Stoke Damerel, granted to one Peter Edgecombe, Knight, [Sir Piers Edgcumbe] a parcel of land in Estelake, otherwise called Dedlake, from the middle of the salt water running between Este Stonehouse and the manor of Stoke Damerel, in length 164 feet by 40 feet, to erect a causeway for corn mills to be newly built. This was granted to Eggescombe for 'the period of his life, paying therefore yearly unto me the aforesaid John Wise, and to my heirs, twelve pence sterling, to be paid at the feast of St Michael the Archangel for all services and demands'. After his death it would continue in the name of Richard, son and heir of Peter. Stonehouse Mills were apparently built by 1528. The map of the defences of Plymouth produced in the time of King Henry VIII shows three mills and a bridge. However, it is thought that two of the mills were amalgamated at one time as there were only two arches beneath the building. The Mill is also shown on the Siege Map of 1643. In 1678, after the Civil War, it was repaired by Mr William Richard, a miller from Plymouth and in 1680 the Corporation apparently settled rent arrears to Sir Richard Edgcumbe amounting to £30 5s. Passage across the mill dam was free until quite suddenly in 1807 a toll-gate was erected. This prompted the Mayor and Corporation of Plymouth to march in due state to the bridge where, with the aid of a body of carpenters, they demolished the gate and threw the timber into the water. A legal battle ensued until an Act of Parliament confirmed the Edgcumbe's right to charge a toll and the bridge was then rebuilt. Pedestrians crossed free of toll -- the only such one in the Plymouth area. This situation lasted until April 1st 1924, when all the local toll-houses were made free by Plymouth Corporation. In 1822 the lease was up for sale but it seems unlikely it was purchased because in 1830 it was reported to be in an extremely dilapidated state. Mr James Horswell was the miller from 1851 until 1870 and again in 1885. He was employing six men at the time of the 1851 census, when he was 36-years of age. He and his Cornish wife, Johanna, had three girls and two boys at that time and they lived at 5 Edgcombe Place in the parish of Stoke Damerel, along with 28-years-old journeyman miller, John Coombe from Anthony in Cornwall, and an Irish house servant called Margaret Marearty. Messrs Doidge & Sons operated it from 1889 until 1899 when it was once again described as being in a ruinous condition. At that time it had three wheels driving five pairs of stone so it was quite a substantial building. Stonehouse Mill was so dilapidated that at the beginning of 1901 it was said to be worth no more than £1,000. However, when the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe put it up for auction on Thursday May 9th 1901 there was a battle for it between Mr A R Debnam, a local contractor, and Mr Browning, a shipbroker at Millbridge. He quickly led the bidding up to £1,800 but Mr Debnam went one better. In spite of being offered £50 or even £25 bids, Mr Browning gave up and the Mill was sold to Mr Debnam for £1,900. The press commented on how a worthless piece of real estate of some 7,287 feet was suddenly worth 5s 4d per foot. But that was not quite the end of the saga, for the enterprising Mr Debnam soon sold it on to the Matcham Marble Works for £100 more than he paid for it. They went into liquidation in 1930. The creek that supplied the tidal power has been filled in and become Victoria Park.
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