Description: The River Leen at this point was dammed to form pools which served as reservoirs to the early water powered mills around the village. Seen here is the section of river which sourced Papplewick Dam to the west of the village. After 1782 George, James and John Robinson set about building cotton mills or converting existing corn mills on the River Leen at a cost of £40,000. Unfortunately, the Robinsons were severely hampered in their trade by their neighbour to the north at Newstead Abbey, William, the fifth Lord Byron. He demanded royalty payments from the Robinsons for using the River Leen amounting to a £10,000 down-payment and £6,000 per year thereafter. To force the Robinsons into paying up, he started damming up Lower Lake at Newstead on 4th April 1785, refused to allow the Robinsons to regulate the river's flow, and threatened to release the water causing a 'sudden violent eruption of water...' The Robinsons took Byron to court, but the matter was passed back and forth between courts in Nottingham and London for several years. Only in 1790 did they finally obtain judgement in their favour but were unable to recover damages, with Byron pleading poverty. In this atmosphere of litigation and water shortage, the Robinsons had to seek alternative means of powering their mills. James set about purchasing a steam engine from Messrs. Boulton and Watt of Birmingham in 1785 that would supplement the existing water-wheel. They installed it in a mill on what is today Grange Farm and it became the first rotative steam engine in use in a cotton mill anywhere in the world. Apprentice boys were brought from the St. Marylebone Workhouse in London to work at the cotton mills in Papplewick. Numerous tales have been told of the hardships they endured, including pathetic nourishment, brutal treatment and excessive toil. Legend has it that hundreds are buried in unmarked graves in Papplewick and Linby churchyards. In actual fact, nothing could be further from the truth! Evidence produced at a Parliamentary Select Committee details the education they received (out of 244 children under the age of 18 employed, only 17 could not read or write), the medical facilities they were afforded and outside observers told of their work being 'neither laborious nor sedentary.' There are 41 entries in Linby's parish registers relating to the burial of 'London' boys and but only one in the Papplewick registers. (Some of the 'boys' continued to live in the neighbourhood long after the mills were closed down.) On 16th September 1817, James Robinson died and was buried in Papplewick Churchyard alongside his wife, Ann. The mills passed into the hands of his sons and in September 1821, they were assigned to a partnership headed by Richard Hopper. By July 1828, cotton spinning had come to a halt due irreconcilable differences between the three partners, a dispute that dragged through the courts until 1830. In 1946 the dam was drained, and today this area has been made into pleasant walks around the river and up to the church. The church lies to the west of the village, in a secluded site bordering the river Leen. The church is a Grade 1 listed building of great historical interest, although the building was almost entirely rebuilt in 1795. In the porch there are carved figures above the door. The one immediately above the door is late Saxon or early Norman probably representing St. James. The higher figure used to be set high up on the inner side of the archway, but it is uncertain whom it depicts. In the Churchyard are tombstones of the early 17th century. One near the path bears the date '17012' which has caused much speculation. From the registers, it is shown that the actual date is 1712. The Churchyard is still in use today. In the Churchyard stands the magnificent yew which some say date back to the days of the royal decree that yews should be planted in every churchyard to maintain the supply for the famous English Longbow. The tree is about 350 years old. The church is noted for its incised tomb slabs. It would seem that in various alterations of the building, several have been removed from their original positions, while others have been cut to fit as floor stones. They are varied designs, some dating as early as the 13th century. An interesting one is the Foresters' slab marked with a bow and arrow, horn and baldric - (a reminder that this is Robin Hood country !) Two slabs in the porch walls bear bellows, the insignia of officials at the Forge Mills. Just inside the door is the old Norman tub font. Rumour and legend has it that was at this church the Alan-A-Dale's true love, a girl named Ellen, was forced to marry an aged nobleman not of her choosing. Robin arrived just in time to rescue her and she was married, by Friar Tuck, to Alan instead. (Alternatively the groom may have been Will Scarlet!.) Close by, to the north east of this picture are the so call Robin Hood's Stables, a cave in the woods near Papplewick Hall, reputed to have been used by the outlaw.