Milling, Mills and Millers

black and white photo

Historically mills are associated with food production and were driven by water or wind:

WINDMILLS

or

WATER MILLS

Mill technology also had other uses such as the  production of textiles (paper or leather). See also millers.

Stowupland’s wind powered mills stood on the Green.

From the Ipswich Journal, 14 th June 1804 ‘To be sold by public auction; a post windmill, with all going gears, together with new built  tenement thereto belonging, situate at Thorney Green in Stowupland‘  {ECA press cutting of item in East Anglican Miscellany 1956, she added the date 25/2/1771, not sure why}.

The water powered mills stood on the banks of the River Gipping.

There were also 2 wind powered mills to the east of  Saxham Street, on the border with Stonham.

Note made by Ena Carter of an early 14th century mill in Creeting

From Ena Carter’s notes we know that c. 1316 there was a mill called Branwyn in Creeting St Peter. This may have been the mill that was in disrepair when Richard de Amoundeville was Lord of the Thorney Manor .

Millers and millwrights.

Only those who may have a link to Stowupland will be mentioned, details of millers who worked within Stowupland can be found in the stories of their mills.

1879 Wm Hewitt was a malster, miller corn & coal merchan – Victoria Mills, Jihn Felgate and Frances Webb are named in Stowupland Street.

1891 (Whites) Wm Hewitt and Mrs Dorothy Steggall in Stowupland

Read more about millwrights and engineers in ‘Stowmarket’, Britain in Old Photographs’ by Robert Malster,  (Alan Sutton Publishing: 1995).