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Summary

References to a windmill on Wednesdon Hill occur from at least 1716 but by 1761 it had ceased to exist. Any remaining traces have been eradicated by a later sand pit on the site.

Full Description

<1> Bedfordshire Historical Record Society, Bedfordshire Historical Record Society, XXXIV, p. 68 (Serial). SBD10681.

Reference to a windmill on Wednesdon Hill in letter from Talbot Williamson of 1761 (see Ref no. 4).

<2> Bedfordshire & Luton Archives and Records Service Documents, BLARS: M1/1/22, Lease, 1716 (Unpublished document). SBD10551.

1716 lease mentioning a windmill on Wednesdon Hill.

<3> Bedfordshire & Luton Archives and Records Service Documents, BLARS: M1/1/30, Lease, 1725 (Unpublished document). SBD10551.

A moiety of a windmill on Wednesdon Hill in Husborne Crawley [actually in Aspley Guise (Stewart Brown)] dated 1725. Items in the windmill: 4 mill stones, a great gable rope, 8 sails of cloth. Leased by Edmund Williamson to a baker in Southwark.

<4> Bedfordshire & Luton Archives and Records Service Documents, BLARS: M10/2/246-95, Letter, 1760/61 (Unpublished document). SBD10551.

Letter of 1760/61 by T. Williamson - intending to plant trees on site of windmill. He quotes an earlier source - "The mill and all that piece of land and ground wheron the said windmill was erected containing by estimation 5 poles in length as it is bounded out abutting SW on Wensden Hill." The mill is said to be gone by this date and was situated in MoorField.

<5> Bedfordshire & Luton Archives and Records Service Documents, BLARS: X1/30, Estate Map, 1782 (Unpublished document). SBD10551.

The estate map shows a little drawing of a windmill on Wednesdon Hill near the road at approx SP 9490 3608.

<6> Stewart Brown, Comments, December 1979 (Observations and Comments). SBD11121.

The Enclosure Map 1761 (MA94) shows the windmill at Aspley Mills but not the windmill on Wednesdon Hill and it is presumed to have been dismantled by this date.
The sand pit HER no. 2493 at some later date totally removed the site upon which this mill stood.
NB: The mill was said to be in Husborne Crawley in the lease of 1725 (Ref no. 3) but it is very likely that it always stood within the boundary of Aspley Guise.

Protected Status: None recorded

Monument Type(s):

• WINDMILL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events: None recorded

Sources and Further Reading

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