A collection of indentures and other legal documents chiefly concerned with documenting dispositions of land which relate to English mills, millers or millwrights. The majority of the documents date from the 19th century, although there are plenty from the 17th and 18th centuries and also the Mills Archive's oldest manuscript, a 1552 indenture relating to Hockeredge Mill, Kent. The vast majority of indentures are on vellum, adopting a variety of execution methods including by seal, signature and/or 'by mark' and often bearing official stamps for tax or probate purposes. Several also attach certificates as to a married woman's capacity to contract.
Material gathered in researching mills and millstones, in the UK and elsewhere. Includes handwritten notes, ephemera, press cuttings, photocopied material and photographs.
