One of the earliest buildings that we know about was the corn mill on Middle Drove (now Mudd’s Drove).
William Richards was the occupant master miller in Three Holes Mill from 1830 until 1860. In 1851, he was helped by two men from Doddington and a servant, Charles Sparkes, from Morbeam in Essex. He and his wife Sarah Baker from Upwell lived in the Mill with a large family, including two sons called John and John Bull Richards.
Information about the Richards family comes from William’s great great grandson, Terry Silcock:
“The 5-year-old John Bull mentioned in the 1851 census is my great grandfather. He had an elder brother John as well and they came to London together. The BULL Christian name was William’s stepmother’s original surname, and was how I was able to trace the family, as my great uncle was also Bull. The children of his father and stepmother were apparently quite wealthy. His half brother’s family installed most of the stained glass windows in Doddington parish church in the last 19th century, which are memorials to their family.”
Later, Hugh Forth’s father, Thomas, lived at the Mill. In 1900, he moved to the Walnuts, the first house on the left down Squires Drove. He built the roof joists in the barn at the Walnuts from the sails of the mill.
The site of the corn mill became Noakes’ and Dot Ford’s Road Haulier business, with children Margaret (now Beckett), Joyce (now Whyatt) John and Edwin Ford.
Mrs B M Ford was a Haulage contractor in Kelly’s directory of 1937.
