New Bradwell

Contents -- Click to go to item

General
Windmill

A brief note about the area
The ghost of a suicide
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General

New Bradwell is a relatively young village as it has only been in existence for around 150 years. In 1851 the village was just a small hamlet with scattered houses and farms and a population of just over 380, yet 10 years later the population had grown to 1,658 because of the nearby Wolverton works. By 1906 the population had risen to over 4,000 most of them living in purpose built houses for local workers.

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Windmill

It is said that in 1685 the daughter of a local miller was actively pursued by two youths who sought her hand in marriage. It seems that one of the youths killed the other in a fit of jealousy after which he was caught, tried and gibbeted. Shortly after this the girl was found dead in one of the upper rooms of her father’s mill. It is her ghost that is now said to haunt the mill.

There is one small point regarding this tale. The mill on this site was built in 1817 (1805 according to another source) on land purchased in 1803, prior to that there was no mill on the site. In which case, how could the girl have died in one of its rooms in 1685 (or was that supposed to have read 1865 which would make more sense as the mill was in use up to 1876 though this would be 33 years after the last criminal was gibbeted)? Or, could the site have previously been occupied by another mill in which case the present one is not the haunted one?

The mill is unusual as it has a fireplace on the ground floor, which is odd as flour dust is explosive.

To view a map of the area click on the button below



To view images see: New Bradwell Album

To view a report about New Bradwell Windmill see: 09-06-2007

New Bradwell Windmill New Bradwell Windmill