Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History Windmills on Wirral

Just found this bit of info.

In Burdett's map of Cheshire 1777 it was shown to have 16 windmills, 12 of which where on Wirral.

It also shows 140 water mills in Cheshire, the majority used for corn milling .

There was also a tide mill at Bromborough Pool

Can anyone list the 12 windmills, and did we have any watermills ?

Thought this might keep a few brains ticking..and it doesn't give any answers as to location.

Pretty sure there were more than twelve windmills, here's a start (some had more than one)

Capenhurst
Bidston
Eastham
Willaston
Wallasey
Gayton
Great Neston
Burton
Great Saughall
Irby
Spital
Higher Bebington

Water Mills

Bromborough tidal
Raby
Wallasey Pool
Brimstage
Spital

1777 Burdett map
I think DD may have left off his list Tranmere and Saughall Massey

Yep, I should have got Tranmere and Thingwall. I'd guess there were well over 20 sites.

Maybe some listed were not built in 1777. Willaston was built after that date ,I think.

Granny, not sure if you only want the names of circa 1777 or all the windmills that have been on Wirral.
Try the A Bryant 1831 map
click

Derek, I don't mind however many there are, but just thought that if he only had 12 listed for Wirral, maybe others were built later than his map dated 1777.

Should we put some pics up, if we can find any ?

Here's the Tide Mill at Bromborough Pool . One recorded there in Doomsday Book.

The second Irby Mill, thought to have been built around 1720



http://www.greasby.btck.co.uk/IrbyMillCottagePub

Burdett is missing some - Breck Mill was built in 1765 on the site of a wooden one that was there at least one hundred years earlier.

Caldy Windmill is missing too.

Poulton Mill...where was that ? Also 'Two Mills' at the junction of the Welsh Road and Chester High Road, do you know which mills that may refer to ?

The twelve windmills on the Burdett map are:

1 Wallasey (normally known as Liscard Mill)
2 Bidston
3 Saughall Massie
4 Irby
5 Thingwall
6 Higher Bebington (on Storeton Heath)
7 Gayton
8 Great Neston
9 Willaston
10 Eastham
11 Burton (incorrectly marked with a watermill symbol instead of a windmill)
12 A New Mill (on the Chester Road between Ledsham and Great Saughall - later known as the Gibbett Mill)

There are also two tidal watermills marked at the head of Wallasey Pool and one on Bromborough Pool, and ordinary watermills on Thornton Heath (Raby Mill) and Stanney.

Thanks Marty. I wonder why he didn't list the rest of them

I've no photo, but there was one adjacent to Storeton Quarry. It doesn't seem to be listed.

Oops, sorry it IS on the list (Storeton Heath) Goes back to sleep!

Going back a few years to 1086, there were two mills listed in the Domesday Book namely Eastham and Prenton. The mills of that age could have been water or animal powered but I think in this instance they would both be water mills.