River Beult
Encyclopedia
The River Beult is a tributary of the River Medway
River Medway
The River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters the Thames Estuary....
. It has several sources west of Ashford
Ashford, Kent
Ashford is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. In 2005 it was voted the fourth best place to live in the United Kingdom. It lies on the Great Stour river, the M20 motorway, and the South Eastern Main Line and High Speed 1 railways. Its agricultural market is one of the most...
, including one at Woodchurch
Woodchurch, Kent
Woodchurch is a village and civil parish, 7 miles from the market town of Ashford and from the Cinque Ports town of Tenterden, in Kent, South East England....
. It then flows through Headcorn
Headcorn
Headcorn is a village and civil parish in the Maidstone District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the floodplain of the River Beult south east of Maidstone....
. At Hunton
Hunton
Hunton, as a person, may refer to:*Eppa Hunton , an American politician and generalHunton, as a place, may refer to:*Hunton, Kent, England*Hunton, North Yorkshire, a village in Richmondshire, North Yorkshire, England...
, 7 furlongs (1.4 km) above Yalding
Yalding
Yalding is a village and part of Yalding civil parish in the Maidstone District of Kent, England.The village is situated six miles south-west of Maidstone at a point where the Rivers Teise and Beult join the River Medway....
it is joined by the major stream of the River Teise
River Teise
The River Teise is a tributary of the River Medway in Kent, England. It begins in Dunorlan Park in Tunbridge Wells. and flows eastwards past Bayham Abbey and then through Lamberhurst...
. Town bridge lies 10¼ miles (16.5 km) from Allington
Allington, Kent
Allington is an almost entirely modern village situated alongside the sides of the A20 road west of Maidstone in Kent. It is part of the built-up area of Maidstone. It has 2 primary schools; Allington Primary and Palace Wood...
, it is the longest mediaeval bridge in Kent. The river enters the Medway at Yalding . The River Beult is crossed by the railway between Headcorn and Staplehurst. The bridge was the scene of the Staplehurst rail crash
Staplehurst rail crash
The Staplehurst rail crash was a railway accident at Staplehurst, Kent, England, which occurred on 9 June 1865 and in which ten passengers were killed and 40 injured...
in 1865 in which Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
was involved.
The River Beult was subject to a Land Drainage Improvement Scheme in the 1930s. This led to the river being widened, deepended and straightened from Smarden to Yalding. Despite this action the river is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
. It is one of the few clay rivers in England and Wales to retain much of its characteristic flora. It hasn't been heavily embanked like most clay rivers found in the midlands, although the majority of trees were removed. The lack of shade coupled with retained areas of grazing means there are many wildlife rich margins to the river, with nearly 100 different species of aquatic and marginal plants recorded.
The river is subject to significant agricultural run off and flows from wastewater treatment works. Hence despite recent improvements, still suffers water quality problems. At one time (around 70 years ago) the water was apparently crystal clear. This is certainly not the case today.
Upstream of Smarden the river retains is natural meandering morphology, although it is still subject to water level management (raising water levels in the summer, and dropping them in the winter). The vegetation communities are not so interesting here as the river is smaller, heavily tree lined and a greater proportion of riverside land is in arable cultivation.
Watermills
The River Beult and its tributaries powered a number of watermills. From source to mouth these were:-Cheveney Mill, Hunton
TQ 708 496 51.219930°N 0.446791°WThis was a corn mill, latterly converted to generate electricity c.1900. The waterwheel was replaced by a turbine
Water turbine
A water turbine is a rotary engine that takes energy from moving water.Water turbines were developed in the 19th century and were widely used for industrial power prior to electrical grids. Now they are mostly used for electric power generation. They harness a clean and renewable energy...
made by Messrs Drake & Fletcher of Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
. During the Second World War, Italian Prisoners of War were billeted in the mill building. The building survives today, converted into a house.
Watermills on the tributaries
The River Beult is unusual in that the majority of its watermills were not on the main river itself, but on the tributaries.Angley Brook
A stream rises at Angley Woods, Cranbrook and flows into the Beult at FrittendenFrittenden
Frittenden is a village and civil parish in the Tunbridge Wells District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the flood plain of one of the tributaries of the River Medway, 15 miles to the east of Tunbridge Wells: the village is three miles south of Headcorn. It is in a very rural...
. It powered these mills:-
Friezley Mill, Cranbrook
TQ 771 384 approx 51.117386°N 0.531403°WAn old fulling mill site.
Hockeredge Mill, Cranbrook
TQ 775 387 51.119958°N 0.537261°WThis mill was sold to Alexander Courthope in 1523, and his son sold it to Robert Hovenden in 1551. It remained in the Hovenden family for many years, until at least 1704. The mill later passed to the Bonnick family.
Hartridge (Hartridge Manor) Mill, Cranbrook
TQ 774 395 51.127176°N 0.536227°WThis was a corn mill. In the mid nineteenth century it was worked in conjunction with the Union Mill, the miller being Mr Russell. The mill building was standing in 1974, devoid of machinery. It probably had a breast shot waterwheel.
Paley (Hawkridge) Mill, Cranbrook
TQ 777 400 51.131575°N 0.540757°WThe mill building was standing in April 1974, devoid of machinery.
Lovehurst Mill, Staplehurst
This was a corn mill. John Foreman, farmer, of HorsmondenHorsmonden
Horsmonden is a village in Kent, on the Weald. It is situated on a road leading from Maidstone to Lamberhurst, three miles north of the latter place. The nearest railway station is Paddock Wood, Horsmonden railway station having closed in 1961.- History :It was an important centre of the medieval...
hired the mill for 14 years in November 1854.
Maplehurst Mill, Frittenden
TQ 803 416 51.145137°N 0.578682°W
Marian Persecutions
The Marian Persecutions were carried out against religious reformers, Protestants, and other dissenters for their heretical beliefs during the reign of Mary I of England. The excesses of this period were mythologized in the historical record of Foxe's Book of Martyrs...
the miller, William Allin and his wife Katherine were burned at the stake
Execution by burning
Death by burning is death brought about by combustion. As a form of capital punishment, burning has a long history as a method in crimes such as treason, heresy, and witchcraft....
at Fairmeadow, Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
, along with five other Protestants. The Allins had fed the poor, sold corn at half price and read scriptures to people.
The earliest surviving part of the mill is dated 1756, David Papillon being the then owner. The mill was extended c.1890, when a steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
was installed. The original mill building having a peg tile roof with the extension being roofed in slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
. The cast iron waterwheel is 10 feet (3.05 m) diameter and 8 feet (2.44 m) wide, mounted on a wooden axle, driving a cast iron pit wheel with 92 wooden cogs. The cast iron wallower has 32 teeth and is carried on a wooden upright shaft, driving a cast iron Great Spur Wheel with 120 cogs. This drove three pairs of millstone
Millstone
Millstones or mill stones are used in windmills and watermills, including tide mills, for grinding wheat or other grains.The type of stone most suitable for making millstones is a siliceous rock called burrstone , an open-textured, porous but tough, fine-grained sandstone, or a silicified,...
s. The stones are two pairs of 48 inches (1.22 m) diameter Peak stones and one pair of 44 inches (1.12 m) diameter French Burr stones by Hughes of Dover & London. The Crown Wheel is cast iron, with 18 teeth, it drove a total four layshafts which drove several machines including a smutter and a Feltons Patent American Grist Mill.
The mill stands on the parish boundary of Frittenden
Frittenden
Frittenden is a village and civil parish in the Tunbridge Wells District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the flood plain of one of the tributaries of the River Medway, 15 miles to the east of Tunbridge Wells: the village is three miles south of Headcorn. It is in a very rural...
and Staplehurst, with the majority of the mill in the former parish. It was working until the winter of 1947/8, when the machinery was damaged through being iced up.
Tributary of the Angley Brook
A tributary of the above stream flows into the pond of Hartridge mill. It powered a mill downstream of Mad Dog Shaw.Hammer Mill, Biddenden
This was the most easterly iron furnaceWealden iron industry
The Wealden iron industry was located in the Weald of south-eastern England. It was formerly an important industry, producing a large proportion of the bar iron made in England in the 16th century and most British cannon until about 1770. Ironmaking in the Weald used ironstone from various clay...
in the Weald
Weald
The Weald is the name given to an area in South East England situated between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It should be regarded as three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the centre; the clay "Low Weald" periphery; and the Greensand Ridge which...
. In the time of Queen Elizabeth I it was in the ownership of Sir Richard Butler. The mill was replaced by a corn mill in the mid seventeenth century. The Hammer Pond formerly extended to 30 acres (121,405.8 m²).
Hammer Mill (corn), Biddenden
TQ820 383 51.114952°N 0.601295°WThis corn mill stands some 200 yards (182.9 m) south-west of the site of the furnace. The brick mill building is three storeys high, with a slate roof. The overshot waterwheel was 12 feet (3.66 m) diameter and 6 feet (1.83 m) wide, mounted on an 8¼" (207mm) square cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
axle. It drove a cast iron pit wheel with 88 wooden cogs. This drove a cast iron wallower with 28 teeth mounter on a wooden upright shaft. The cast iron Great Spur Wheel has 128 cogs and drove four pairs of millstone at one time. The three surviving pairs of stones are two pairs of French Burrs and one pair of Peak stones. The Compass-arm Crown Wheel is of all wood construction, and has 48 cogs. It drove a layshaft and the sack hoist. The mill last worked for trade in 1928, a Mr Hall being the last miller.
Bettenham Mill
The site of this mill was marked by Mill Field and Millpond Field on the 1840 tithe map.Tributary of the Hammer Stream
A stream rises at SissinghurstSissinghurst
Sissinghurst is a small village in the county of Kent in England. Originally called Milkhouse Street , Sissinghurst changed its name in the 1850s, possibly to avoid association with the smuggling and cockfighting activities of the Hawkhurst Gang.The nearest railway station is at...
and flows into the Hammer Stream downstream of Hammer Mill, Biddenden. it runs for 7 miles (11 km) passing through Sissinghurst and Frittenden
Frittenden
Frittenden is a village and civil parish in the Tunbridge Wells District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the flood plain of one of the tributaries of the River Medway, 15 miles to the east of Tunbridge Wells: the village is three miles south of Headcorn. It is in a very rural...
and then joins the River Beult at Headcorn
Headcorn
Headcorn is a village and civil parish in the Maidstone District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the floodplain of the River Beult south east of Maidstone....
. There are many footpaths crossing it and many beautiful walks typical of the Kentish countryside. It powered a watermill:-
New Mill, Sissinghurst
TQ 802 381 51.113724°N 0.575504°WThis mill was mentioned in rate books of 1687 and 1689.
Crane Brook
The Crane Brook rises at Hartley, it powered a number of mills before joining the Hammer Stream at BiddendenBiddenden
Biddenden is a village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, England. The village lies on the Weald of Kent, some five miles north of Tenterden. It was centre for Wealden iron industry and also of clothmaking. During the reign of Edward III some Flemish clothworkers settled in the area...
.
Upper Mill, Cranbrook
This mill stood in the area now known as "The Bottoms". The Upper Pond is mentioned in 1503, and in 1545 Thomas Roberts granted a lease to Thomas Burgess of Cranbrooke of the "uppermost mmyll ponde" - information given in the lease suggests that the Upper Mill was a fulling mill then.Anthony's Mill, Cranbrook
This mill was mentioned in 1416 and again in 1447, its location being in Mellane (Mill Lane). In 1464 a rental entry mentions "Anthony's Mill Pond.fulling mill, Cranbrook
This was located near the present day Moat Farm. The mill pond would have been some 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) in area. It was most likely a fulling mill.Sissinghurst Mill
The site of this mill is occupied by the present day Lake Chad. In the early 17th century the millers were Francis Chittenden (1634) followed by John Chittenden (1654–69). The mill was a corn mill.Karckeregge Mill
The first mention of this mill was in 1353 when the mill was leased. John Bettenham was the lessee in 1416, being the son of Stephen Bettenham. The mill was leased to Peter Courtnope in 1451 and again in 1472, by then probably a fulling mill. The land the mill stood on now forms part of Plumers Farm.Tributary of the Crane Brook
A tributary of the Crane Brook rises at Swattenden, it powered five mills, including those at:-Baker's Cross, Cranbrook
This fulling mill at Baker's CrossBaker's Cross
Baker's Cross is a settlement in Kent, England. It is part of the village of Cranbrook, situated on the eastern edge of the village.- "Bloody Baker" legend :...
was first mentioned in 1500 as "Hancock's Mill". It may have been a fulling mill or a corn mill then. In 1516 it had been replaced by "Thomas Sheffe's new fulling mill". The mill seems to have ceased working by 1604, when a dyehouse was in use at the site.
Further tributary of the Crane Brook
A tributary of the Crane Brook flows through the town. It powered:-Hatmill, Cranbrook
Stream at Ulcombe
A stream rises at Ulcombe and flows into the beult at Hawkenbury. It powered a watermill.Upper Mill, Ulcombe
This was probably the Domesday mill recorded at Ulcombe. Chegworth mill was also known as Lower Mill thus this mill would be the Upper Mill.Stream at Chart Sutton
A stream rises at Chart SuttonChart Sutton
Chart Sutton is a small village on the edge of the Weald of Kent, approximately to the south of Maidstone. The village is small, with around 800 inhabitants, but the village does offer a village hall and a park...
and flows into the Beult at Cross At Hand. It powered a watermill.
Chart Mill, Chart Sutton
TQ 794 493 51.214596°N 0.569674°WThis mill is a timber framed mill on a single storey brick base. The waterwheel was some 24 feet (7.32 m) diameter and 4 feet (1.22 m) wide, it was removed during World War Two. The cast iron axle is 9 inches (228.6 mm) square, and bears the legend "WEEKS & SON, MAIDSTONE 1875" on one face. No other machinery is known to exist in the mill, the lower floor having been filled with concrete when the mill was converted, the upper floors being used as an office.