Monument record 7031 - Site of Cogshall Mill

<1> Cheshire Federation Of Women's Institutes, 1990, The Cheshire Village Book, p.32 (Book). SCH6817.

“Cogshall or “Cockshalle”(Coggs hyll in 1086) had a 14th century corn mill which was in use until 1880 but no longer exists”.

<2> Burdett, P. P., 1777, A Survey of the County Palatine of Chester (Maps and Plans). SCH113.

Burdett's 1777 map shows a mill present on a brook north west of Comberbach and south east of Cogshall.

<3> Swire, W. & Hutchings, W. F., 1830, Map of the County Palatine of Chester (Maps and Plans). SCH2116.

Cogshall mill is depicted on a brook west of Comberbach and adjacent to a pond north of Cogshall.

<4> Bryant, A., 1831, Map of the County Palatine of Chester (Maps and Plans). SCH2114.

The mill is depicted as adjacent to a body of water, presumably the mill pond. A track runs parst the mill towards the Cogshall Hall.

<5> See map for surveyor, c.1837-51, Cheshire Tithe Maps and Awards, 1844,EDT 121/2 (Maps and Plans). SCH3266.

The tithe award records the mill as being owned by Peter Jackson and occupied by William Dobson. The plot is depicted as containing a house, a water/corn mill and stables. The track from the lodge to the hall, which passes by the mill, is also depicted.

<6> Ordnance Survey, 1871-1882, Ordnance Survey County Series (Epoch 1) 25 inch to 1 mile - Cheshire, SJ6377 1877 (Maps and Plans). SCH2462.

The mill is clearly depicted, as is the mill pond and the associated races, sluices and overflows. A boat house is depicted to the immediate north of the mill, as is the previously noted track way. The mill is labelled as 'flour'.

<7> Ordnance Survey, 1896-1898, Ordnance Survey First Revision County Series (Epoch 2) 25 inch to 1 mile - Cheshire, SJ6377 1898 (Maps and Plans). SCH3848.

The mill is labelled as disused and the boat house is no longer depicted. All the water channels appear to be in good order.

<8> Ordnance Survey, 1909-1912, Ordnance Survey Second Revision County Series (Epoch 3) 25 inch to 1 mile - Cheshire, SJ6377 1910 (Maps and Plans). SCH4361.

The mill is no longer labelled as disused and a new boat house is depicted in the mill pond against the dam.

<9> Royal Air Force, 1944-1947, 1940s RAF Aerial Photographs from Operation Review (Aerial Photograph). SCH8041.

The mill is not very visible on this photograph due to its poor quality.

<9> The GeoInformation Group, 2005, 1940s RAF Aerial Photographs from Operation Review (Aerial Photograph). SCH4608.

The mill is not very visible on this photograph due to its poor quality.

<10> Norris J.H., 1968, The Water-Powered Corn Mills of Cheshire, 1965-6 v.75-76 p33-71 (Article in Journal). SCH6001.

Stone foundations are the of Cogshall mill. The mill had two wheels of about 13’0” diameter and the layout of the site as well as the pool races are noted as being easily traceable.

<11> Huntings Surveys Ltd, 1971-1973, 1971-1973 County Survey (Aerial Photograph). SCH4881.

The mill pond, weir and the mill building are completely wooded over.

<12> Various, Cheshire History, v.17 p.28 (Journal/Periodical). SCH811.

Cogshall Mill stood on Cogshall Brook west of Comberbach. 1775, 1830, 1844.

<13> County Historic Environment Record, Site Visit/Watching Brief Observation Report Form, Watson, M 13/06/2012 (Unpublished Document). SCH4357.

A site visit from the 13th June 2012 found ruins of red sandstone watermill foundations visible of about 3m in height and wheel pits visible. The site is overgrown with moss covering the stone work and a grass bank over the stone foundations. The stone work structure can be clearly seen from the public footpath and the prominent edge of the left of the mill building is still visible on the left hand side of the structure. Sandstone blocks are scattered from the ruins of the mill building towards the footpath. At the edge of the footpath there are 2 blocks of sandstone which are about a metre long and a block which is about half a metre long. Dry water channel leading up to the mill buildings ruins is still visible from the footpath. Arched brick bridge across the water channel with cobbles present on the paths surface. The water channel flows from the sluice, which consists of 3 equally spaced steps and 1 large and 1 small step with remains of sluice gate hanging across the sluice. Bricks and red sandstone remnants scattered across the water channel which has boundary walls on each side of the channel consisting of blocks of red sandstone.

<14> Dodgson J McN, 1970-2, 1981, The Place-Names of Cheshire, Vol.II p.110 (Book). SCH3228.

The first element of the placename is either Old English cogg (Middle English cogge) 'a cog, a cog-wheel' or a personal name. If the former then the placename means 'hill at a cog', supposing a mill wheel or some such feature.

<15> Morgan P (ed), 1978, Domesday Book - Cheshire, 5,4 and 20, 10 (Book). SCH1061.

There are two entries in the Domesday book for Cogshall, but there is no mention of a mill.

<16> Cheshire Gardens Trust, 2011 onwards, Research and Recording Report (Report). SCH6655.

A plan of Burrows hall dated 1577 shows the mill (see 17).

<17> Unknown, 1577, Plan of Burrows Hall in Cogshall, MPC 1/57 (Maps and Plans). SCH7248.

The plan shows in its centre the mill building on the previously mentioned trackway. The mill is depicted as a building with the wheel on the left hand side.

<18> Various, Various, Oral communication to the HER, Edwards R 31/10/2013 (Oral Communication). SCH2330.

It's possible that the 14th century reference to the mill mentioned in (1) derives from Ormerod (see 19) who references a fifteenth century document dated 1422. However it may also derive from one of the many documents associated with Burghess Hall and listed in (14), which includes three documents of a 14th century date (1317, 1318 and 1353).

<19> Ormerod, G., 1882, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, vol. I p.655-6 (Book). SCH1389.

A footnote records: '9 Hen. V. Ric. de Werburton of Burghes, and Randle de Roule}. Fine of 64 acres of land, 2 of mead., 3 of wood, and 2 of moor, a moiety of 10 mess. and one water mill in Coggeshull, Overwhitlegh, Netherwhitley, and Cumberbache.' Source is the Plea Rolls.

<20> English Heritage, Various-2015, Notification Report of Decision not to Designate, Ellis V 19/04/2014 (Written Communication). SCH7599.

An assessment of the site of Cogshall Mill for designation as a Scheduled Monument. Cogshall Mill was not recommended for scheduling for the following principal reasons:

* Rarity: with about 1,000 designated examples Cogshall Mill is not a rare example of a watermill;

* Survival: the drained millpond, the use of engineered brick in the mill building's foundations, overflow channel and bridges, and the fresh appearance of the stone-lined channel carrying Cogshall Brook away from the former mill pond all suggest that the remains here attest to the latest phase of occupation and use of the mill;

* Archaeological documentation: there is no record of any archaeological excavation or survey having been undertaken at the mill to support the existence of surviving buried remains of earlier phases of the mill;

* Potential; while it is appreciated that evidence for earlier phases of the mill may survive within the existing building foundations it is not possible at present to be certain that such remains exist.