The house and grounds of Boyton Mill feature remarkable footage inside the historic mill building. Viewers can see the intricate lay-shaft drive and mill gearing, with a view near the end of the mill race feeding the large water wheel.

Boyton Mill is located on the eastern Devon side of the River Tamar, which forms the border with Cornwall. John and Grace Oliver lived at the mill with their younger children, first as tenants from 1827 and later as owners from 1842 until Grace’s death in 1860. It’s interesting to note that two of their sons took their expertise abroad: William Oliver (born 1810) emigrated to the United States in 1840, where he became involved in the operation of mills, while Samuel Oliver (born 1819) emigrated to New Zealand in 1841 and established the first flour mill in New Plymouth.

The youngest of John and Grace’s children, Francis Oliver, inherited Boyton Mill and ran it until his death in 1897. Afterward, the mill passed to his daughter, Ann Yeo (née Oliver), and her husband, Thomas Yeo, who owned it until 1913. Their son, Frank Yeo, then took over the mill’s operations until 1936.

Just 1.6 km west of Boyton Mill, across the Tamar River in Cornwall, stands the Church of England parish church known as the “Church of The Holy Name, Boyton,” or simply Boyton Parish Church.

This is where the Oliver family worshiped, and in Richard’s video, viewers can see the Oliver family headstones in the church grounds.