Tudor Tour

Busby lease of watermill

This is a copy of a legal document in which Dr Richard Busby, the Lord of the Manor of Willen in 1680, is agreeing conditions for William Simmes, a miller, to take over the use of Willen watermill from the previous tenant miller, Richard Coxe.

The heads of a lease of nine years for Willing Mills & The grounds belonging to it. Between Doctour Busby and William Simmes to begin Lady Day 1680.

1. Dr Busby lets the said William the mills homeclose and holm = Conygree Moulsoe hacke and the bigger ground (viz; all the gound Richard Coxe hows with the mills +

2. Dr Busby is to provide Two new paire of mill stones by this summer next and see the house and mills and fences put into senansable repaire & to find timber & stone & bords for repairing the mills when thre is occasion, the mills being as the charge of workemanship -

3. The lease is to be from Three years to three years-

4. Dr Busby reserves to himselfe the Royalty and priviledges of fishing

5. Dr. Busby payes by thes and army taxes.

1.William Simms covenants to pay Twenty eight pounds yearly by Two halfe yeares payments

2. To pay as an increase of rent five pounds the acre ploughed or diggid (more than the garden)

3. To keep all and leave it in as good repaire as he finds it.

4. To lopp the trees at seasonable times & leave the topps of all timber trees & to plant & preserve yearly six willowes or elmes & to ditch perserv the hedges when plasshed.