Burgh St Margaret Old Burgh Mill
towermill


Return to index of
Norfolk Windmills


c.1972


Old Burgh Mill in Burgh St Margaret mill was an early towermill. The mill stood within a plot along with the mill house and other buildings on the south side of Mill Road and was known as Old Burgh Mill. The mill ran 2 pairs of French burr stones and 2 flour mills.


Entries in the Court Book for Burgh St Margaret held in Norfolk Record Office include:

1788: Robert Durrant re ½ acre of land near Common Pasture
3rd November 1800:
Robert & Lydia Durrant purchase land from Hannah Watson, the land being part of Mill Piece and consisting of 2 rods and 10 perches
By 26th October 1812, Robert Durrant had moved to Aylsham and had become a yeoman. Mention was made that Robert Durrant the younger, miller, George Durrant, miller along with his wife Esther surrendered some land in 1829.

To Millers To be Sold by Private Contract

An ESTATE at Burgh St. Margaret in Norfolk occupied by Mr. Durrant consisting of a substantial Dwelling house with a new barn, stables & outbuildings, a good Tower Wind Mill with two pair of French stones & two flour mills in good repair & about 17 acres of capital arable & marsh land. This property is all Freehold except 3 roods of land which are Copyhold & the Land tax is only 2s.6d. a year.

Apply to Messrs. Simpson & Rackham, Solrs. Norwich or Mr. Cockerill or Mr. Durrant of Ormesby.
Norfolk Chronicle - 23rd June 1821


Notice re
William Ransome, Miller deceased.
Norfolk Chronicle - 17th April 1830


Tithe Award 1841

Map T.F. Brown & Josh. Manning, Surveyors, Lynn. 1839

Owners: George Durrant

Occupier: Samuel Rice

No. 213 Mill, House, Garden etc. 0a. 2r. 25p. part of £19.14. 0.

BURGH ST. MARGARET OLD MILL
To be Sold by Auction
Piece of arable land opposite Old Burgh Mill on high road from Burgh to Ob, 2a. 1r. 29p.
Yarmouth Independent - 11th August 1866


Flegg Burgh

THE STORM. The effects of the awful storm on the old tower mill in the occupation of Mr. Starling on Friday night were very disastrous. Mr. Starling hearing some slight cracking of timber about half past nine left the mill, when he observed the wind tackle going round at a great rate, which was afterwards blown away, some part thereof falling a few feet from his person. The wind getting at the back of the sails, the entire top was hitched forward & pitching on one sail, remained in that condition until Thursday morning when a rope was thrown over & with a little effort the entire top fell into a shapeless mass. In falling the cast-iron shaft appears to have received no injury. The brickwork & the machinery being very ancient, it is not intended to be reconstructed.

Norfolk News - Saturday 27th November 1875



O.S. Map 1890 - 1892
Image produced from the www.old-maps.co.uk service with permission of Landmark Information Group Ltd. and Ordnance Survey

The above map also shows Burgh St Margaret towermill to the southeast of the postmill referred to on this page.


Faden's map 1797: Mill

Poll Book 1802: Robert Durrant, miller

1821: George Durrant, miller

June 1821: Mill advertised for sale by private contract

1830: William Ransome, miller, died

Index of wills 1831: William Ransome, miller

White's 1836: George Durrant, corn miller

1841: Samuel Rice, tenant miller

White's 1845: Robert Hunt, miller


Census 1851: George D. Starling (46) b.Burgh, master miller
Clementia  Starling (46) b.Ormesby
William Greenacre (17) b.Burgh, miller apprentice
Elijah Thurtell (17) b.Horning, miller apprentice
Address: Town Lane


White's 1854: George D. Starling, corn miller

1868: John Burton, miller

1872: John Hunt, miller

1875: ? Starling, miller

Friday 19th November 1875: Mill destroyed by a gale

O.S. Map 1890-92: Windmill (disused)

c.1914: Mill demolished

1972: Mill dwellings listed as Mill Cottage and Primrose Cottage



If you have any memories, anecdotes or photos please let us know and we may be able to use them to update the site. By all means telephone 01263 587564 or

Nat Grid Ref TG44051452  

Copyright © Jonathan Neville 2006

Top of Page