In 1086 Domesday book records – 
– King William holds THORNEY, which King Edward held as one manor.
– This included then “2 mills, later and now 1”. This would refer to water mills as windmills were not introduced until the 14th century.

Documents from the early 1400s onwards list two water mills. An undated but probably early 1400s rental of the manor of Columbine Hall, then held by the Hotot family, includes “the manor of Clement” included as being held by Matilda Hotot.

A mill on the site of Clements Mill later known as Taylors Mill, Crosses Mill and Stowupland Mill being on the north bank of the river.
This water mill is listed in rentals of the 16th century as listed as –
“William Lavenham for a water mill called Clementes melle”.
In the 1327 subsidy return are listed –William Clement taxed at 7 shillings fourpence farthing
Richard Clement taxed at 4 shillings and a halfpenny.
They were two of the three highest taxed individuals in “Villata de Stowe” probably the earlier owners of the manor and the mills.
The area of Clements manor and the location of the water mill is defined in a document from the Manor of Haughley dated 1554 –
“John Tyrrell: of Collombin Hall esquier holdethe att the Southend of Stowe Strete one close nowe divided into foure partes with one medowe or marisshe lienge in length on the Southe syde therof & one marisshe & aldercarre also in th’estend therof conteyning in the hoole 40 acres as ytt liethe in Stowe aforseid betwine the common Rever Runnynge from the Forthe mille [Alwynes later Ford Mill then Boulters Mill] unto the mylle of the seid John called Taylors Mylle on the Southe parte / And the wey called Clementes Lane [Takers Lane?] in parte ……on the Northe parte / And ytt abbuttethe uppon the Common Rever runnynge from Thorneye Bredge unto Taylours Mylle aforseid agenste th’este / And uppon the Kinges Highe Weye ledinge from Jppeswiche to Stowe agenst the weste:”

Although the mill would later have ground corn, it may have at this time been a fulling mill as Stowmarket had a thriving cloth trade at that time. The fact that a William Lavenham held Clements Mill may be a link with Lavenham’s cloth industry.
In rentals of the manor of Columbine Hall between 1546 and 1554 Clements mill is held by a Thomas Taylor.

Clements Mill in the 19th century became known as Crosse’s mill. Early maps of the course of the Gipping Navigation and Ordinance Survey maps show a watermill immediately downstream of the bridge across the river on the site of the later gun cotton works. The course of the navigation bypassed the original course of the river at this point, the original stretch of river forming the mill race. This stretch has since been filled in.

By 1817 it was owned by Mr. Pearl Cross. Subsequently it was owned by his widow Sarah and daughter Elizabeth. On 17th July 1852 William Freeman records in his diary ‘going swimming at Miss Cross’s mill’.
The mill was sold by the Cross family in 1860 when a Henry Wicks was miller there and it was described as a mill of four floors with three pairs of millstones.
It is uncertain when milling ceased but the mill would have surely been severely damaged in the 1871 explosion at the nearby gun cotton factory and probably milling ceased then.The area of the water mill on 1839 tithe map.

The site of Stowupland watermill. the X marks the swing bridge the appears in the foreground of the photo below

The watermill buildings can be see to the far left of the tree in this photo of the aftermath of the 1871 explosion looking from the swing bridge.