North Elmham Mill, sometimes known as Grint Mill, once ran two breastshot wheels but these were taken out before the second world war and replaced by turbines. As larger machinery was installed it became necessary to move over to electricity, however one turbine continued to drive the sack hoist and the other worked two mixing machines. The mill was still working producing animal feed in 1970.

On Monday last was married at Heigham, Mr Henry Hall, Miller, at Elmham, to Miss Clarke, of Worthing.

To the sensible, humane, and generous Part of Mankind, this Publication of the Case of Henry Hall, of Grint-water-mill, in the Parish of North Elmham, Miller, is humbly submitted, in Hopes of its having some Weight with them, in clearing up his Character. On Friday, the 27th of July last, (the day of the Justices sitting at Dereham) I was charged, on the oath of Mary, the wife of Gabriel Farrer, of Mattishall, who sells meal and flour for me, and also on the evidence of three or four poor persons in Mattishall, who purchased small parcels of meal and flour of Farrer, with Knowingly selling to Farrer wheat meal adulterated, and mixed with barley meal, as, and for, and at the Price of, whole wheat meal, contrary to the clause of the statute of 31 Geo. 2 sect. 22, which says, "That no person shall, Knowingly, put into any corn, meal, or flour, which shall be ground, dressed, bolted, or manufactured for sale, either at the time of grinding, dressing, bolting, or in any wise manufacturing the same, or at any other time, any ingredient, mixture, or any other thing whatever, or shall Knowingly, sell, offer, or expose to sale, any meal or flour of any sort of grain, or any other thing, as, and for, or mixed with the meal and flour of any grain, which shall not be the real and genuine meal and flour the same shall import to be, and ought to be, on pain of forfeiting not more than five pounds, nor less than forty shillings." On this evidence chiefly, as far as I can recollect, I was ordered to pay down 5 pounds directly as the penalty, which, although innocent of the crime charged upon me as the child unborn, I unfortunately complied with, without considering the consequence; for I was not acquainted at that time, that the statute gave me 24 hours for payment before I could be convicted, and that I might appeal to the Sessions. Without doubt the payment of this 5 pounds penalty must be generally construed as one of the strongest arguments of my guilt; but if on reflection, my distressed situation be considered, an unexperienced youth, not yet 21 years of age, called to answer before a room full of people, unacquainted with the law, without a friend at that time to advise or assist me; and above all so overpowered, that for a time I was so far bereft of my senses, as to be glad to pay any demand
required of me, and to get out of the room. The truth is, my mill was too much out of repair, that I had not done work thereat for weeks past, but was necessitated to grind corn, and to buy meal and flour to serve my customers, at the neighbouring mills; particularly in July last, I sent a last of wheat to be ground at Mr Robert Perry's mill at Bawdeswell, several sacks of which meal (as I suppose) on the 13th of July last was delivered by John Perry to John Bone, my servant, and John Bone brought the same horse that evening and lodged in my granary the next morning; some sacks whereof were weighed off by John Bone, and my other Servants, and carried by John Bone to Mattishall, and there delivered to Mary Farrer, without seeing or examining the same myself, for I neither suspected, or was conscious of any adulteration whatever, part of which meal is
supposed to the same meal complained of by Farrer to be mixed with barleymeal by me. I have since seen Robert Perry, and John his son, who declare that they received the last of wheat from me, unmixed and unadulterated, to be ground into meal; that it was ground accordingly, and some sacks thereof, so ground into meal, delivered by John Perry to John Bone, my servant, on the 13th of July, without any mixture with barley meal, or any other mixture whatever, part of which meal they have heard is the same meal complained of. Notwithstanding the folly I have committed in payment of the 5 pounds I am ready to call God to witness in the most solemn manner, and even to take the sacrament, that in the milling business I never in my life time intermixed, or caused to be intermixed, barley meal with wheat meal; or do I know, or ever did know, of such intermixture by my servants, or otherwise, and more particularly, I did not intermix
the meal sold to Farrer, and by her sold to the poor persons for which I paid the penalty, or do I know or ever did know, of such intermixture by my servants, or any other person or persons whatever; and I do from my heart abhor and detest all such iniquitous dealings. I am sensible, that I have now inconsiderately deprived myself of justice by appeal to the laws of my country, should hope therefore this appeal to the Public will in some measure compensate for that false
step, and recover the character, which, once lost, is so difficult to be regained, and is dearer to me than life itself!
"Who steals my purse, steals trash; 'tis something, nothing,
'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands;
But he that filches from me my good name,
Robs me of that, which not enriches him,
And makes me poor indeed."
Henry Hall.

We John Bone, John Norton, and Edward Rust, servants to Henry Hall, each speaking for himself, are ready to testify in the most solemn manner, that to the best of our knowledge and belief, the case above set forth by the said Henry Hall is the real truth; and farther, that we never
intermixed barley meal with wheat meal, nor do we know of any such intermixture by the said Henry Hall; and particularly, that the meal delivered to Mary Farrer, for which Henry Hall paid the penalty, was not adulterated, or mixed with barley meal, by us, or any one of us, or by any person, or persons, to our Knowledge.
John Norton (signed), Edw. Rust (signed), John Bone (his mark).
Norfolk Chronicle - 25th August 1781

All Persons indebted to the Estate and Effects of Henry Jacob, late of North Elmham, Miller, deceased, are desired to pay their respective Debts to Matthew Brook Smith, and John Laverlock, of North Elmham aforesaid, or to John Clarke, of Southacre, his Executors, within one Month from the Date hereof, or they will be sued for the same. And all Persons having any Demands upon the said Deceased's Estate and Effects, are desired to send an Account thereof to his said Executors.
Norfolk Chronicle - 10th May 1783

... I have not said anything about my son Thos. Whom you used to carry about. He is very thin and tall, rather delicate in his construction but think he will get strong after a time.
Excerpt from a letter from Robert Norton to his ex apprentice, Robert Rudd - 23rd January 1848
Robert Rudd had emigrated to Mitchigin, USA c.1838

Robert Norton's ex apprentice, Robert Rudd had a sister Susan, who at the age of 19 had married William Skinner, a wealthy Whissonsett farmer who was 43. They had several children, one of whom was John Skinner who was also an apprentice miller but he got himself into some kind of trouble at the age of 17 and was shipped off to Michigan to join his uncle Robert in the American milling business. After a while he got into more trouble and was sent to Tasmania where another uncle John Rudd had a large cattle ranch. This John Rudd was married to Martha Goggs, sister of the 'Gogg's Mill' Thomas Goggs at Hempton. The Goggs family lived at Whissonsett Hall. An earlier member of their family, Mary Raven, married William Hardy who owned Letheringsett watermill and various other mills and breweries around the county. They founded the Cozens-Hardy family.
Ann English - 15th October 2006

Mr. C. M. Bidwell is instructed to sell by Auction at the King's Arms Hotel, East Dereham, on Friday August 26th, 1859 at 5 o'clock
IN ELMHAM
Lot 11. All that valuable Freehold and substantial Water Corn or Grist Mill... (15a 3r. 26p.)
in the occupation of Robert Norton at £110 a year...
Norfolk Chronicle - 6th August 1859

In 1988 it was noticed that a beam in the older part of the mill was inscribed:
CMLE WOOLSEY
STONE MAN
1814
JOHN BA (unfinished)
J. MIDDL (unfinished)

Whilst I was working for British Field Products, (based at Walsingham) as a Maintenance Fitter,
I was sent to work on the Water Mill at North Elmham. The problem was that the drive being a Crownwheel and Pinion, as probably most were, was constantly jumping out of mesh, the reason was the bearing block for the Pinion was badly worn, however I was able to fix it for a while, but having left BFP, to work for Crane Fruehauf (trailers) East Dereham, shortly after, I don't know what happened to it from then on. I lived at North Elmham, (my Father was Cowman for Robin Seaman) so I then had less distance to travel to work, that would be in about 1966.
Norman Fuller - 31st May 2004

By November 2002 the mill had been converted into 9 leasehold apartments that were being advertised for sale by estate agent John B. Shrive.

December 2004 luxury apartment for sale:
3 double bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (1 ensuite), lounge, dining room, fitted kitchen, single garage, managed garden and fishing rights.
Guide price: £245,500 - Belton & Duffey - Tel. 01328 855899

1780: Henry Hall, miller

Friday 27th July 1781: Henry Hall, miller, fined £5 for adulterating wheat flour but proclaimed his innocence.
Employees included John Bone, John Norton and Edward Rust.

July 1781: Mill was not working as in need of repair.

Thomas Englebright, who was born c.1754 and died 16th December 1828 was the miller for some years

1783: Henry Jacob, miller, died

Faden's map 1797: Bintry Paper Mill

Bryant's map 1826: Billingford Mill

Pigot's 1830: Robert Norton

White's 1836: Robert Norton - grist mill

c.1838: Robert Rudd, apprentice to Robert Norton emigrated to Mitchigin, USA

1848: Robert Norton inherited Weasenham postmill from Francis Jeckell

Hunt's 1850: Robert Norton

White's 1854: Robert Norton, farmer & corn miller, Worthing and Elmham Grint, Water Mills

1859: Robert Norton, miller

August 1859: Mill advertised for sale by auction

White's 1864: Robert Norton - grist mill

Kelly's 1883: Thomas Norton

Kelly's 1896: Thomas Norton

Kelly's 1900: Thomas Norton

Kelly's 1904: John Seaman

Kelly's 1908: Seaman & Sons

Kelly's 1925: Seaman & Sons

Kelly's 1929: R. J. Seaman & Sons

Kelly's 1937: R. J. Seaman & Sons

1959: Mill still working using two turbines and electrical power

1986: Mrs. Shearing bought mill and applied for planning consent to convert to 7 flats

November 2002: Mill converted to 9 luxury leasehold apartments

December 2004: 3 bedroom apartment advertised for sale by Belton & Duffy for c.£245,500

October 2006: 2 apartments and 1 house advertised for sale by Brown & Co of Fakenham

Friday 20th April 2007: Frank & Jenny Snow took possession of Apartment 1