Dunster's fulling mills

The river Avill drove several fulling or tucking mills from the Middle Ages. The first recorded fulling mill belonged to Dunster manor in 1279 when it was worth 13s 4d, half the value of a corn mill. In 1491 an order was made banning the mills from working on Sundays and two men were fined for disobeying. Fulling mills decayed and were rebuilt with the changing fortunes of the cloth industry.