Osgodby Mill

Osgodby tower windmill was located on the south-eastern side of village, to the south of the Selby to Howden road and adjacent to the old Selby to Market Weighton railway line.  In 1878 the mill is recorded as having 3 pairs of stones for grinding corn.

The 1662 map of the East Riding of Yorkshire shows a mill at Osgodby and in 1670 John Colborne leaves his “winde miln and the hill she stands upon” to his daughter Sarah Smith in his will. Osgodby mill is also mentioned in the will of Joseph Clarkson, husbandman of Lund, dated 1723.  It isn’t known when, or where, Joseph was born, but he married Mary Jackson at Hemingbrough in 1693 and died in 1723, leaving “a windmill with hill at Osgodby” to his son, also called Joseph.  In addition to the mill, Joseph Jnr, who was aged about 15 at this time, also received a cottage in Osgodby and 1.5 acres of land in Lund.  According to Hemingbrough parish records, Joseph Clarkson Jnr married 3 times and had 6 children, 2 to each wife.  When he died in 1761, aged 53, he bequeathed the mill to his 4^th son, John Clarkson, aged 20.   John married in 1764, his wife was buried in Hemingbrough churchyard in 1765, just 2 days before the baptism of their daughter Sarah.   On all these records his occupation was recorded as ‘Miller of Osgodby’, however, there is no further record of a miller or mill at Osgodby until 1805 when an indenture records the leasing of Osgodby Mill and 5 roods of land by Mr John Marshall to Mr Thomas Castell, for a period of 12 years.    Mr Castell, may have leased the mill, but Hemingbrough parish records for 1808, name John Giles as ‘Miller of Osgodby’ on the baptismal record of his daughter Jane and the following year, Robert Poppleton’s occupation is shown as ‘Miller of Osgodby’ on his son, William’s baptismal record.  It would have taken a number of men to run the mill, depending on the number of grinding stones being operated.

By 1810, according to Hemingbrough parish records,, a 20 year old, named John Quarton, was a Miller at Osgodby, and following the death of his wife, Ann in 1811, he returned to work with his father, Richard Quarton, at the mill in Selby, where he remarried in 1812.  Thomas Quarton, is named as miller at Osgodby in 1812 but by 1819 Thomas’ occupation is recorded as labourer and he and his family eventually emigrated to Illonois, America, where he and his wife Lydia are buried.

The 1823 edition of Baines’ Directory records Michael Brown as the Miller at Osgodby, his wife was Margaret Fallowfield, born at North Cave in 1796, where they also married.  The Fallowfield family ran North Cave corn mill, which is also mentioned in a document relating to the mortgage of this mill & Sir Ralph Babthorpe of Osgodby in 1601.  The Mill at Osgodby and that of North Cave seem to be somehow linked. 

On 2^nd September 1826, one of Michael Brown’s millers, found himself at the petty sessions.  Alexander Bell was convicted of maliciously breaking the windows of Ann Steel and Jonathan Robinson, publican, both of Cliff cum Lund. He was fined a total of 7s 6d.   It is unknown whether or not he remained in the Brown’s employ.

By 1838 the Browns were well established in the area and on 10^th January 1838, they hosted the annual meeting of Barlby and Osgodby Choristers at Mill House, the event being reported by the York Herald:

“They (the choristers) were joined by the Harmonic Society.  After an excellent supper, prepared by Mrs Brown in her usual style of elegance, the evening’s entertainment opened with the members of the Harmonic Society performing the overture to ‘Tancredi’ which went off with unbounded applause, and was succeeded by a choice selection of waltzes, minuets, etc. after which, song, toast, sentiment and dance succeeded without intermission until a late hour, when the company separated, highly gratified with the entertainment of the evening.”

The following January, a severe, hurricane like, storm hit the North of England, causing widespread devastation.  The Yorkshire Gazette of Saturday 12^th January 1839 had an extensive report of the damage around the County, including that sustained at Osgodby where “some of the sails were carried away from Osgodby mill”.

When Michael Brown died, in 1847, he was succeeded by 2 of his sons, Francis Fallowfield Brown and his brother Thomas.  The 1857 Trade Directory shows Francis Brown was a miller and also parish clerk of Barlby. Francis remained as miller for over 20 years.  An article in the Hull and East Counties Herald on Thursday 19^th November 1868, announced the forthcoming sale at auction, of “A well-built corn windmill, situate at Osgodby, near Selby, with a good dwelling house, stable, cowhouse and outbuildings and a garden and garth adjoining.  Also a close of very useful land, containing 2 aces 2 roods 1 perch more or less.”  The property was bought by Thomas Kettlewell, who was the last miller at Osgodby.

During his time here, Thomas appeared a number of times before Escrick Petty Sessions.  The first occasion was on 12 December 1874, when he was being sued by John Shearsmith, a millwright and stonedresser, who on the 1871 census was residing at Mill House with Thomas and Mira Kettlewell, Thomas’ sister.  John claimed he was owed wages by Thomas Kettlewell and Wray Watson, a wheelwright of Riccall.  The court found in Thomas’ favour, on this occasion.  The following year, 1875, Thomas found himself before Escrick Petty Sessions again, this time he was fined for using defective scales and measures.  In 1877 he again appeared at the Petty Sessions, charged with trespassing on the North Eastern Railway at Cliffe junction, ‘in a drunken state, staggering along the line’.  It appears he had been warned previously about walking along the line, and had a habit of using the railway as a shortcut between home and Selby market.  He admitted trespass, but denied being drunk and was fined £1, plus costs of 14s 6d.

From the end of the 19^th Century the traditional way of stone grinding flour was replaced by roller mills and many windmills, including Osgodby, were soon replaced by the large flour mills, like those in Selby, using the new method.  It is likely this decline in the demand for stone ground flour that prompted Thomas Kettlewell to put the mill and house up for sale by auction in March 1878.  However, Thomas was still living at Mill House in 1901 when his occupation was flour dealer and corn farmer, so it is likely the mill had stopped producing flour by this time.  On the 1911 census, he was still at Mill House and gave his occupation as farmer. 

Shortly after it became redundant in the early 20^th century, the mill was partly demolished, leaving only the base standing until the early 1970’s when this was also removed.