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Summary

18c Mill Leat from Head Weir on the River Otter to Town Mills & Ottery Factory to the west of Ottery St Mary

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SY09NE/14/2

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LEAT (XVIII to XXI - 1701 AD to 2009 AD (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880s, Ordnance Survey (Cartographic). SDV848.

'Mill Leat' shown on OS 25" (1880s) map running south from 'Head Weir' on the River Otter at SY09579621 via several sluices to the circular weir at SY09469533 (see PRN 10341) at 'Town Mills (Corn)'. The leat then goes on to 'Ottery Factory (Silk, Disused)' & rejoins the river at SY09579467.

Whetham, C. D., 1913, Untitled Source, 163,175 (Monograph). SDV126439.

Weddell, P. J., 1993, Archaeological Assessment of NRA Ottery St Mary Flood Defence Scheme, 1993 (Report - Assessment). SDV102881.

Leat bringing water to Serge mill and Town Mill from Head Weir at SY09569620. Water rejoined the river via Tumbling Weir (see PRN 10341) at SY09459533. Present leat dates to major rebuilding of late 18C. The tailrace below the mills and textile factory consists of 2 branches. The eastern passed through the grist mill, the western through the serge mill. The 2 pass under Mill Street and merge at SY09479502, below St Saviour's Bridge. The millstream bridge is recorded in late 17C/early 18C documents (see Whetham). This leat system is shown on the Tithe Map and later OS maps.

Best, J., 2005, Archaeological monitoring of the Ottery St Mary flood alleviation scheme, 6-7, Figs 2 & 4 (Report - Watching Brief). SDV322702.

Archaeological recording was undertaken by Exeter Archaeology during the excavation of a flood alleviation channel to the west of the Mill Leat to the west of Ottery St Mary in 2005. Several palaeochannels were identified between the leat & the River Otter & at SY09429558 a 10m section of channel 0.7m wide x 0.75m deep was excavated which probably represents a former course of the mill leat. Part of a timber revetment along the sides of the channel consisted of a number of vertical stakes & horizontal planking with surviving iron nails.

Archaeology and Planning Solutions, 2008, Ottery Town Mill, Ottery St Mary, Devon. Archaeological Desk Based Assessment, 12, 14015 (Report - Assessment). SDV346685.

The leat dates from the late 18th century but may have replaced an earlier leat for which archaeological evidence has been found 5 metres to the west. From the millpond the leat diverged into two branches, the eastern and western branches powering the waterwheels in the Town Mill and Worsted Mill respectively.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV2164 - Archaeological assessment of NRA Ottery St Mary flood defence scheme, 1993
• EDV2165 - Archaeological monitoring of the Ottery St Mary flood alleviation scheme

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