Papermaking at Tuckenhay Mill

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Reference: Research by Richard Evans.

Cornworthy Church records a Stephen Spry, Papermaker, in 1830

Ashprington Church Baptismal Register records John Garrett, Papermaker, of Steps and his wife Susan, as parents of Sarah Lee on 4th September 1836

Ashprington Church Baptismal Register records Thomas Spry, Papermaker, of Tuckenhay and his wife Ann, as parents of John Thomas on 12th May 1839

Reference: Census Records.

From the early records it appears that the mill was operated for many years by a small nucleus of papermakers, most of whom were local and several of whom came to Tuckenhay with the probable founder Richard Turner from around his home village of Abbotskerswell. They worked the mill for anything up to forty years, and since many of them were of similar ages, many of them must have retired or died at around the same time, all at some point after 1871. This date also marks the last appearance as the owner of Richard Turner the younger, who had taken over running of the mill from his father some twenty years earlier. After this, a fresh influx of new blood was required, and this was recruited from much further afield. A number of waves of papermakers arrived from different parts of the country, and many more papermakers from out-of-county feature in the later census records.

Early Tuckenhay Paper Makers