Post mill at St Leonard's church, Winchelsea Looking for any info.

[marinerclark]

Hello  and Happy New year to everyone.

     I have finally found confirmation that Henry Clark(1759-1832) of Rye and Playden owned a Post Mill.  The following ad was place in the Sussex Advertiser on 23 Jan 1832

        To be let or sold
A First Rate Post Mill in Excellent condition situated one mile of the town of Rye   For particulars apply to Mr. Henry Clark Sen. Miller Rye by letter.

St Leonards is the only mill I can find close to rye that is old enough.  I know it was destroyed in 1987.  There is a watercolor of it from 1905 but would love to see older views.

Thank You for your help    LizR

[redtonyt]

Could it be Telegraph Hill Mill, Icklesham?

http://www.sussexias.co.uk/mills_lost.htm


Tony

[Little Nell]

The advert says about 1 mile from Rye, so I think that Icklesham might be too far.  The mill at Winchelsea would have been about 2 miles from Rye.

Playden is about a mile away and there were at least two windmills on the hill there.  There was another one near the Martello tower and Brede sluice, but that is maybe too close to Rye, and I've no idea if it was a post mill. 

Nell

[marinerclark]

Henry Clark sold his building and bakeovens on High Street in 1810 and retired to Playden.  Playden mills hadn't googled yet.  Thanks for help.  Back to google.   LizR

[Little Nell]

Maybe the one shown on a postcard here:

http://www.sussexmillsgroup.org.uk/postcards.htm

Nell

[Hampshire Lass]

There was also a Post Mill at Udimore which is near Rye but just found this which may be of interest to you

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/rd/ed4a2d27-1f0c-4518-9319-32c9ea211fff

I know the dates are all wrong but it may still tie in with the family of your Henry Clark.......did he have a son called Henry?

[marinerclark]

He did have a son Henry.   He wasn't my ancestor so I don't have all his details.   There are other henry Clark grandsons also.  Have you ever looked at the ESRO documents?  The plan map on the margin would be wonderful.  However this is a smock mill, not a post one. 

    Did some googling and there were 3 mills in Playden.  I have never found any leases in Playden for Henry.  he buried his daughter Margaret at Rye St Mary in 1818.  The records mention the family living in Playden.   

     The record office is too expensive once you add the overseas charges.  I have never seen Henry's will either.   Thanks for finding that lease. David Stonham was co executor with Henry Senior of Philip Clark's (1730-1806) PCC will.    LizR
 

[Hampshire Lass]

Unfortunately I can't get to to the Records Office or I would offer to help you.

The reference to a smock mill is in the paragraph above the entry for Henry Clark. It reads as though the post mill is in Lower Mill Field.

I'll Google to see if there are any maps anywhere.

[Hampshire Lass]

Don't know if this map is of any help.

http://maps.nls.uk/view/101434971

If you press on the map you can enlarge it.

The site of the old windmill at Playden, which may be the one you're interested in, looks to me as though it's in a road now known as Mill Road. You can double check on Google maps. It's just opposite The Kings Head Inn.

So Lower Mill Field may have became modern day Mill Road if I'm reading it right.