Ernesettle is mentioned in the Domesday Book, which documented land in England and Wales, and describes as an ‘old Saxon manor’ there. By the 15th century, there were two farms, Great Ernesettle and Little Ernesettle, both named after William Ernstell, a freeholder of Budshead, who owned land here in 1428. By the 16th century, Ernesettle was a thriving hamlet, and Budshead Mill and a manor house were built on the bank of the river Their date of construction is uncertain, but in 1780 the owner was recorded as Sir Harry Trelawney and the tenant was Mr Robert Nicholls.