Windmill Millers of Suffolk

[windy_miller]

Hi Jen,

Sorry I should have said...The first quote come from the Ipswich Journal and the second from the London Gazette.

Cheers,
Windy

[hedgerow]

Hello Windy

Thanks for this information - its  very interesting. My 4 X great grandmother Rachael Beardwell was born in Stratford St Mary and the family lived there for several generations after her so there were clearly connections with Stratford. Maybe my direct family were millers and not just the cousin John Beardwell born around 1804 whom I first mentioned.

My 5 X great grandfather was John Beardwell born 1731 in Holton St Mary so it seems possible. There were several John Beardwells around at this time however, not counting the many other ways the name was spelt- Bardwell, Birdwell, Berdwill, Bradwell etc etc

 I have looked again at the 1841 census and there are other millers living in Bear Street, Nayland.  In fact three others -  John Smith, William Mussell and Edward Jarvis. They all appear to have been born in Suffolk.

If I unearth any others I'll let you know.

Jen

[windy_miller]

Hi Jen,

The Bear Street location suggests that John worked at the watermill in Stoke by Nayland (or Nayland), known I think as Middle Mill, which was owned and run by the Stammers family at the time.  They were a big and successful milling family who owned or ran about a dozen mills in Suffolk & Essex over a period of time.  I expect the other three gents were also journeymen millers or miller's men working for either Jeremiah or William Stammers (do they show up on the census?).

There were a few windmills in the immediate area too but I don't think your John will have worked there.

As far as the Stratford St. Mary watermill was concern it was both an oil and corn mill.  And at the time it was not uncommon for millers to find themselves in ecumenically constrained; corn prices varied all over the place at the time which lead to riots, etc.

Windy

[hedgerow]

Yes there is a William Stammers, a corn merchant, aged 72, living in Bear Street, Nayland in the 1851 census. He has a servant so clearly doing well! I can't see him in the 1841 census but he is still there in 1861 aged 84. He was born in Melton, Suffolk.
I can't see Jeremiah in Nayland though.
Thanks again
Jen

[windy_miller]

Yep.  My records show them as owning the mill too.  Big players in the flour buisness in the area!.
Windy

[karrienz]

Hi

You may remember that you very kindly gave me some info regarding the Titshall millers in Suffolk a year or two ago.  I was at the time researching William Gooch Titshall and thought it might be of interest to let you know how far a 'journeyman miller' went on his quest for mill work through his life. 

William initially was probably raised in Woodbridge, Suffolk (baptised there 1816).  Around the age of 22 in 1838 he was down in Essex, probably working at the West Ham/Barking mills, he met and married a farmers daughter there .  By 1841 they were living in Isleworth, West London; the young wife died in early February and was buried there. By census time 1841 William was lodging in Brentford (journeyman miller).  In 1843 he married again and had a couple of children in Brentford. By census 1851 they had moved to Amersham, Bucks and had a further 4 children there - the family lived at the mill there for at least 10 years - by census 1871 the family were in Bermondsey, south London and William was now foreman at a rice mill with a son and nephew working alongside him.  He died in late 1872.

I've read alot now about the different types of mills were used; and millers in general - very interesting.

I was also going to ask for your help with regard to your database of millers - I'm looking for a possible Frost family connection to William.  Is there any Frost millers in the early 1800's in the Woodbridge area?.  Thank you

regards
Karrienz

 

[windy_miller]

Hi Karrienz,

Its very kind of you to remember me.  Thank you for this info...I'll add it to my db, as it is new to me.

Cheers,
Windy

PS I think I may have one or two morre Titshall dates.  Will try to get back to you.

[karrienz]

Hi Windy

Just a quick update if you like - although William Gooch Titshall isn't a miller by trade in Suffolk but in Bucks.

As I mentioned earlier this month he did move about a lot as a journeyman miller and Chalfont St Giles is quite a distance from where he was born in Woodbridge.  I've been able to find out the name of the farm he worked at for 10 years or so; Bowstridge Farm (Farmhouse and Mill and approximately 112 acres) and it was sold by John Grimsdale in 1850 to a Mr Goodman (although Mr Grimsdale kept a few acres back for himself; and the Grimsdales through a few related generations were corn merchants as well as landowners in the Uxbridge area of Middlesex through into the late 1800's.

regards
Karrienz

Ps I found this website to be fascinating; when I googled London rice mills - there are photographs or 19th century Rice Mills and water mills on the Thames before the embankments went up etc and lots of intersting maps.  Thought you might like it too.

[karrienz]

opps forgot to past the website:

http://partleton.co.uk/James1837in1861b.html

cheers