The 1653 deed conveyed the mill from Thomas Cook to William Smythe, a blacksmith from Caxton.

Smythe died in 1832, leaving the mill to his niece Mary Heywood, of Huntingdon, and her husband Elieze.

The mill worked by wind until 1924, when an oil engine was installed as auxiliary power.

[3] The mill was purchased from Mr Pentelow for £45 in 1931 by Alfred Bossom and Mansfield Forbes.

[4][b] A model of the mill, with four Common sails, was made by Rex Wailes and placed on exhibition in the Children's Gallery of the Science Museum, London.

Repairs made in the 1980s infilling rotten cavities with cement had allowed rain into the timbers.

An appeal was launched by Cambridge Past, Present and Future for the cost of repairs estimated to be in excess of £50,000.

In November 2021, it was reported that the mill had been added to Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register.

[1] The entry on the register states that a grant had been awarded for project development and emergency propping.