River Wye, Buckinghamshire
Encyclopedia
The River Wye in Buckinghamshire is a river in England that rises in the Chiltern Hills
of Buckinghamshire
. It flows for around 9 miles (14.5 km), through High Wycombe
on its way down to Bourne End
, where it meets the River Thames
on the reach above Cookham Lock
.
High Wycombe takes part of its name from the river, which now runs mostly underground through the town. Pann Mill watermill, at the eastern end of Wycombe, is the last remaining watermill on the River Wye.
records eighteen of them in the nine miles between West Wycombe
and the Thames
.
By the seventeenth century there were fulling mills as well as corn mills. A Court of Survey in 1627 lists six mills running upstream from the boundary with Wooburn Parish: the paper mill, Tredway, Loudwater, Bassetsbury, Chalfonts (Rye) and Bridge. There were by this time at least two paper mill
s: Glory in Wooburn Green
and Hedge in Loudwater. By 1636 another paper mill had been established in the parish of West Wycombe and by 1656 another at Marsh, below Wycombe
. At this time paper was made from rags and by the end of the eighteenth century more than 150 men were recorded as papermakers in the valley. In 1816 there were 32 paper mills (some of which also milled corn), four which only milled corn and one which was also a saw mill. This was when paper making reached its peak in the valley. However, the introduction of the Fourdrinier machine
, which produced a continuous roll of paper, led to widespread unemployment and many families went to the cotton mills of Lancashire
. In 1830 there were riots when machine wreckers broke the machines at Ash, Marsh Green and Loudwater. Twenty men were punished by penal transportation
to Tasmania
.
Papermaking continued at the Soho and Glory mills till the end of the twentieth century, though the water-mills gave way to steam in the mid-nineteenth century. The Soho mill in Wooburn was the prime supplier of high-grade colour paper till its demise in 1984.
Chiltern Hills
The Chiltern Hills form a chalk escarpment in South East England. They are known locally as "the Chilterns". A large portion of the hills was designated officially as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1965.-Location:...
of Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. It flows for around 9 miles (14.5 km), through High Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
on its way down to Bourne End
Bourne End, Buckinghamshire
Bourne End is a village predominantly in the parish of Wooburn and Bourne End, but also in the parish of Little Marlow, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated close to the border with Berkshire, near where the River Wye meets the River Thames...
, where it meets the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
on the reach above Cookham Lock
Cookham Lock
Cookham Lock is a lock with weirs situated on the River Thames near Cookham, Berkshire. The lock is set in a lock cut which is one of four streams here and it is surrounded by woods. On one side is Sashes Island and on the other is Mill Island connected to Formosa Island, the largest on the...
.
High Wycombe takes part of its name from the river, which now runs mostly underground through the town. Pann Mill watermill, at the eastern end of Wycombe, is the last remaining watermill on the River Wye.
History
There is a long history of water-mills being operated in the Wye Valley which drops about 200 feet in its 9 mile course. The Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
records eighteen of them in the nine miles between West Wycombe
West Wycombe
West Wycombe is a small village situated along the A40 road, due three miles west of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England.The historic village is largely a National Trust property and receives a large annual influx of tourists - being the site of West Wycombe Park, West Wycombe Caves and the...
and the Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
.
By the seventeenth century there were fulling mills as well as corn mills. A Court of Survey in 1627 lists six mills running upstream from the boundary with Wooburn Parish: the paper mill, Tredway, Loudwater, Bassetsbury, Chalfonts (Rye) and Bridge. There were by this time at least two paper mill
Paper mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags and other ingredients using a Fourdrinier machine or other type of paper machine.- History :...
s: Glory in Wooburn Green
Wooburn Green
Wooburn Green is a village in the parish of Wooburn and Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, England.-Location:Wooburn Green is a village situated four miles south east of the town of High Wycombe. It neighbours Beaconsfield, Loudwater, Flackwell Heath, and Bourne End...
and Hedge in Loudwater. By 1636 another paper mill had been established in the parish of West Wycombe and by 1656 another at Marsh, below Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
. At this time paper was made from rags and by the end of the eighteenth century more than 150 men were recorded as papermakers in the valley. In 1816 there were 32 paper mills (some of which also milled corn), four which only milled corn and one which was also a saw mill. This was when paper making reached its peak in the valley. However, the introduction of the Fourdrinier machine
Fourdrinier machine
This article contains a glossary section at the end.Most modern papermaking machines are based on the principles of the Fourdrinier Machine. It has been used in some variation since its inception...
, which produced a continuous roll of paper, led to widespread unemployment and many families went to the cotton mills of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. In 1830 there were riots when machine wreckers broke the machines at Ash, Marsh Green and Loudwater. Twenty men were punished by penal transportation
Penal transportation
Transportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...
to Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
.
Papermaking continued at the Soho and Glory mills till the end of the twentieth century, though the water-mills gave way to steam in the mid-nineteenth century. The Soho mill in Wooburn was the prime supplier of high-grade colour paper till its demise in 1984.
Mills
Shown in order from highest to lowest. Note that Marsh Green to Treadway are on an extra cut parallel to Pan to Loudwater Mills. The number is that given by registration in the eighteenth century.| Name | Recorded | Last record | No | Type | OS Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Wycombe Mill | 1311 | 1900~ | sawmill (18thC) | ||
| Upper, Francis or Little Mill | 1681 | 1903 | 423 | paper | |
| Lower, Mill End or Fryer’s Mill | 1505 | 1915 | 422 | Corn & paper | |
| Lord, Frog or Ball Mill | 1717 | 1883 | 421 | Corn & paper | |
| Ash or Lane’s Mill (Broughton/Wynkle’s) (2) | 1596 | 1895 | 419, 420 | paper | |
| Temple Mill (Gosenham) | 1227 | 1895 | corn | ||
| Bridge Mill | 1185 | 1932 | corn | ||
| Pann Mill | 1185 | 1967 | corn | ||
| Rye Mill (Bradshaw’s, Sale’s, Bowler’s, New) | 1346 | 1931 | 411 | paper | |
| Bassetbury Mill | 1411 | 1931 | corn | ||
| Bowden Mill (2) | 1235 | 1939 | 415, 416 | Corn & paper | |
| Wycombe Marsh Mill (Lower Marsh) | 1133 | 1993 | 414 | paper | |
| King’s Mill (New) | 1725 | 1939 | 417 | paper | |
| Loudwater Mill (2) | 1483 | 1939 | 430, 431 | paper | |
| Snakely or Ford’s Mill | 1767 | 1970 | 428 | paper | |
| Hedge Mill | 1235 | 1970 | 427 | Corn & paper | |
| Marsh Green or Upper Marsh Mill | 1750 | 1816 | 412 | Corn & paper | |
| Beech Mill | 1740 | 1900 | 413 | paper | |
| Treadway Mill (Overshot’s) | 1682 | 1854 | 418 | Corn & paper | |
| Clapton Mill | 1492 | 1922 | 429, 509 | Corn, metal & paper | |
| Glory Mill (2) | 1235 | 2000 | 426 | Corn & paper | |
| Lower Glory Mill | 1631 | 1907 | 425 | Corn & paper | |
| Soho Mill | 1705 | 1988 | 424 | Corn & paper | |
| Prince’s Mill (Egham Green) (3) | 1730 | 1865 | 287, 288, 289 | Corn & paper | |
| Gunpowder Mill (Jackson’s) | 1705 | 1980 | 286 | Corn & paper | |
| Hedsor Mill | 1492 | 1980 | 285 | Corn & paper | |
| Lower Bourne End Mill | 1719 | 1895 | 284 | Corn & paper |