Mill History
1805: James Anstiss Baptised
James Anstiss was Baptised in Quainton Parish Church of the Holy Cross and St Mary on 28th January 1805. He was trained as a land surveyor and worked on  maps for the locality at the time of the Parliamentary enclosures of the open fields in 1841. He combined his work with that of the family business as farmer and miller.

1830-1832: Windmill Built
The building of the Windmill, the tallest in Buckinghamshire, started in 1830 to the order of Mr James Anstiss. The bricks for the 65ft high tower were burnt in a kiln set up near the mill, the clay being dug from a depression about 100 yards to the Northeast. Two of the bricks are inscribed “Ja Hunt 1830” and “G & B 1830”.
There was a delay in building during the winter of 1830 while Mr Anstiss visited America : why he undertook this uncomfortable journey is not known. While he was away the half-completed tower was thatched. William Cooper, millwright of Aylesbury, installed the machinery during the following twelve months incorporating the latest ideas in millwrighting. The mill was completed in 1832. William Cooper was made a bankrupt shortly afterwards

1840s: Industrial Revolution
Early in the mill’s life the first floor was raised and reorganised to allow a 20HP Vertical Steam Engine to be installed on the massive bed-stone on the ground floor, with its boiler in the open outside the north door. This was a common practice at the time : the engine enabled the mill to work regardless of the wind, particularly important for this mill since it was shielded by nearby hills from winds from the northwest round to the northeast. The drive from the engine was taken up the mill to engage the great spur wheel. Coal for the engine had to be carted ten miles from the nearest railhead at Winslow. Although machinery for three pairs of stones were installed, historical records indicate that only two damsels were ever supplied.

1881: Anstiss Retires
By 1881, aged 76, he had retired as an active miller and had handed over to his son Thomas Anstiss. During the mill’s life other millers working here were Joseph Rose, Charles Burton and William Smith who moved his family here from Towersey, Near Thame.

1890s: Milling Ceases
It is not known precisely when the mill stopped operating. It was well built and there is no indication that it ever suffered a mechanical breakdown, but in the 1891 census both James and Thomas Anstiss were described as “Retired Millers”.

1912: Up for Sale
When the mill was put up for sale in 1912 only two pairs of stones were listed. It is believed that these two pairs were the only ones serviceable at the time, the third pair having disintegrated and now on the ground floor. It is recorded that one pair of stones was sold in 1914. It is thought that this was one of the serviceable pairs, leaving the mill, as it is now, with one pair of working stones and one pair in need of restoration.

1974: Quainton Windmill Society
The Quainton Windmill Society was formed in 1974 with the object of restoring the mill. The present owner, Mr Colin Dancer, is Life President : he is a descendant of James Anstiss. Restoration work has continued since 1974.

1997: Windmill Restored