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In the twelfth century Bishop's Palace was constructed at Waltham, and a new church on the site of the present St. Peter's by Bishop Henry de Blots. In 1204 and in 1210 in the Winchester Pipe Rolls there are mentions of East Mill. In 1301 there is the entry: "East Mill. The same render account for 7s7d from 1qr 1bus, of wheat sold, at 5s4d for & 9d a bus, for 3 bus, £3 3s 6dfrom 18 qrs, 1bus, of maslin sold, at 3s 4d. qr for 7 qrs, and 4s . a qr for 8qrs 1 bus.Total, £3 11s 1d.". In the same roll, there is a mention "Issues of the mills. Wheat: 1qtr 3 bus, from the whole issue of the East mill, all sold.".

Bishop's Waltham flourished under the Bishop's of Winchester until the Civil War of 1644 when the Palace was sacked. The ancient deer park later became divided into farms and farming and the market facilities of the town kept the area going for the next two hundred years. This was the situation in the early 1860's when Bishop's Waltham began to feel the effects of Victorian industrialisation and enterprise and during the next seventy years to the period between the two World Wars, things were to change considerably.

1411 HRO Ref 5M87/10 6 labourers work on CAUSEY of East Mill
1414 HRO Ref 5M87/10 East end of Lord's stables wattled and daubed 12000 lathes and 5000 shingles bought. Work undertaken at East Mills.
1441 HRO Ref 5M87/10 Work undertaken on East Mill Machinery
1446 HRO Ref 5M87/10 Mill leased to John Clere
1466 HRO Ref 5M87/10 Mill leased to John Clere.

Mill Repairs carried out.Mr Robinson of Waltham Chase Mill and his staff, about 1925. The fine mill house beside Waltham Chase Mill dates from the 18th century and from about 1892 until his death in 1939 was occupied by Arthur Hildyard Robinson, pictured here with some of his employees in the Mill House garden. The young lad is gardeners boy William Jaffris and on the bridge are William Maidment the carter, Merritt the butler and Teddy Dace the head gardener. In 1729 a Mr Willis purchased the mill and later in the 1700's it was occupied by Daniel Jonas, either of whom may have built the house. Some time in the early 1800's the house, mill and a substantial farm was held by William Knapp Jonas, Gent, and when he died in 1892 it passed to his cousin, Mr Robinson. Local children still sometimes refer to the stream behind the mill as "Robbies river" a name passed down to them by their grandparents who may well remember being chased off the land, for Mr Robinson seems to have made a name for himself in this respect, being very sensitive about people wandering in his fields.

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