History

The Trust and Leomansley Mill

The Trust and Leomansley Mill – an overview

Leomansley Mill once stood on the south western boundary of Pipe Green on the site that is now occupied by Leomansley House (or more recently Manor). The mill only lasted approximately 80 years (1791 - 1860s) and was used initially for fulling and later on for spinning hosiery and knitting yarn. In 1791 the Pipe Green Trust agreed to rent half an acre of their land to the owners of the mill (John and later Mary Hartwell), which was used as part of the mill pond. Details on this agreement and the size and location of the mill can be found here. Relationships between the trust and the mill owners were initially fairly harmonious, but when the mill was sold in the 1830s, to Thomas Adie, the ownership of the mill pond was disputed and an acrimonious and drawn out legal battle ensued. The mill was eventually sold to the Maple Hayes estate in the 1860s and the site was used as cottages for the workers of the estate. In more recent times, many local residents may remember the house being the residence of the local Lichfield artist Eilidh Armour Brown (nee Barnado). The Pipe Green Trust is very lucky that most of the original agreements and maps relating to the mill, are held in the Lichfield record office. They give us a fascinating insight into how the site was developed and give us some idea of the industrial activity and hustle and bustle that must once have surrounded the mill. The history of the mill has been split into sub-pages and are listed below. This is very much an ongoing project and more information will be added as and when the research has been completed.