Rockland St Peter tower mill was built in the first quarter of the 1800s and stood beside the mill house on the Scoulton Road, some 1½ miles north of the village. In 1875 the mill complex included a bakery and a butchery but by 1970 only 2 derelict storeys of the mill tower remained.

At the time of the above photo the mill had been painted red, white and blue in celebration of the coronation of King George V. Frederick Lincoln is seated on top of the mill's cap, Thomas Arthur Lincoln is on the horse and William Lincoln is standing to the right wearing a cap. Frederick Lincoln was later killed in service during the first World War and was buried in France.

John Lincoln (1825-c.1904) who bought the mill in 1875, was well educated for the time and read a lot. He was a Methodist preacher and held services in his barn where he would also hold a childrens' picnic at Whitsun and other times of the year, providing lemonade and cakes for the children who apparently came in wagon loads. He was a strict father but a good and honest businessman, often giving extra weight.

John Lincoln's son William Henry Lincoln (1863-1931) was apparently tricked out of the business by an unscrupulous lawyer during the first world war.

c.1820: Mill built

1875: Mill bought by John Lincoln

Kelly's 1896: John Lincoln, farmer & miller (wind) & at Rockland All Saints

1904: John Lincoln died

1904-1916: William Henry Lincoln, miller

1926: Mill derelict

Copyright © Jonathan Neville 2005