Milling, Mills and 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.
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.
1840 Mr Crotch died age 75, Stowupland miller
1866 C. T. Warner, miller of Stowupland made bankrupt. In 1867, 29th June The Suffolk Chronicle advertised an auction for the sale of the Tower Windmill, also the residence occupied by Charles Warner that was licenced as a Beerhouse.
In addition there were 2 tenements occ. by J. Chinery and Widow Carter. Also a newly erected messuage with shops and ‘ detached offices ‘ occupied by carpenters, David Rist and Samuel Burch.
Another Freehold property adjoining the road from Stowupland to Gipping of 2 messuages and 4 tenements occ. by Wm Calthorpe, Widow Stebbing, Orlando hare and James Burrows with gardens of 2 roods and 34 p.
Other properties in Mill Street of 2 messuages, one containing 2 tenements and one of 4 tenements occ. by Wm Hammond, Robert Rake, Charles Tricker, Alfred Phillips, Jogn Miller and Jno Chinery.
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).
