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Origin and history

Cacrey's fortified mill, located in Creysse in the Lot, is a medieval building built between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries by the lords of Cazillac. This atypical mill, powered by the resurgence of the Cacrey (linked to the karst network of the Dordogne), is distinguished by its lack of a draught canal and its defensive architecture, with murderers and massive foothills. It was initially equipped with four pairs of wheels operated by wheels, two of which now remain sealed wheels and 19th century cast iron turbines.

Around 1319, the mill passed into the hands of the family of Tournemire by the marriage of Bernard de Cazillac with Raymonde de Tournemire, before being controlled by the lords of Mirandol from 1327. During the Hundred Years War (1347-1378), Creysse was occupied by English troops, but the mill remained operational. In the 15th century, the Mirandols, like Gaubert Faure and his wife Bertrande de Leymonie, strengthened exploitation to local millers. In 1459, Guillaume de Mirandol paid tribute to the Viscount of Turenne for this "fortified mill of Capcreix", confirming his status as a noble den.

In the 16th century, the house body in return was added, while the floor and vaults of the ground floor were probably modernized. The mill remained in the family of Mirandol until the 17th century, where Honorée de Cosnac, widow of François de Mirandol, preserved its property. He then went through an alliance at La Porte de Lissac (1734), then at Les Marqueyssac, which in 1780 joined the miller Jean Montial, heir to a line of millers. Confiscated during the Revolution, it was sold to the Rogers of Martel before 1792, then resumed milling until 1935.

The mill was converted into a home in 1939 after its closure and was registered as a Historic Monument in 1996. Its hydraulic system, powered by an underground resurgence running 6.5 km since the loss of Cuzance, makes it a rare testimony of medieval techniques adapted to the geological constraints of Quercy. The preserved remains (mills, turbines, water chambers) illustrate its technical developments, from medieval wheels to 19th century turbines.

Architecturally, the mill consists of two L-shaped buildings: a rectangular mill made of cut stone (lower part) and rubble (floor), and a 16th century house. The foothills and the absence of windows on the ground floor underline its defensive character, while the braces, partially redesigned, recall its role as noble den. Written sources, such as feudal tributes to the Viscounts of Turenne, confirm its strategic and economic importance to the local lords.

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