[2] Its name is first recorded in c. 1240 and derives from the small stream, or bourne, south of Colchester which drove the mill.

[2] At the dissolution of the Abbey in 1539, the mill and pond passed through a number of hands before being sold to John Lucas.

[2][3] John Lucas built a mansion on the site of the Abbey (subsequently destroyed during the Civil War).

[3] His son, Thomas, built a fishing lodge in 1591, incorporating elements of the former Abbey and his arms above the doorway.

[3] The conversion to a cornmill resulted in the insertion of an upper floor and a sack hoist.