York Historic Environment Record

(SE 586 507 LO) HOB MILNE or FOLLY MILNE

Site of a post-medieval water mill on Hob Moor, called Hob Milne and later Folly Milne, known from documentary sources only, and one of only two water mills documented in York (1a). The mill is first mentioned in 1563, when it was leased by Robert Deighton. In 1600, while occupied by John and Anne Overend, it was burnt down, but was rebuilt by 1602, and was apparently destroyed by 1723. Various references indicate that the building was used to house plague victims in the epidemic of 1603 - 1605; subsequent widespread reluctance to approach the site is reported to have caused financial difficulties for the Overends, and John was in arrears by 1605. York Corporation records state that in 1723 Hob Mill Close was let, 'the house being down'.

Its site is imprecisely located: on the Holgate Beck, and on the northern edge of Hob Moor.

A Level 1 survey of the area was carried as part of English Heritage's Archaeology of Urban Commons project (Event record 1376159) (1)


1A VIRTUAL CATALOGUE ENTRY TO SUPPORT NAR MIGRATION 506 Tillot, PM 1961 'A History of Yorkshire: the City of York' London: Oxford
1 Field Investigators Comments English Heritage: Archaeology of Urban Commons project

NMR, 2019, NMR data (Digital archive). SYO2214.