There is some confusion over Parish records and directory entries during 1810-1840 as both ROBERT GILBERT (1766-1840) and his son ROBERT GILBERT (b1791) are Millwrights and these records do not distinguish between the two. There has to be some deduction and I stand to be corrected!
Between 1823 and 1835 a ROBERT GILBERT pays Poor Rates and tithes (a kind of local welfare contribution) for 2 units of land between 1823 and 1835 and there is evidence in the Poor Accounts that he also owned an orchard, so may have received income from selling apples to the local cider makers.
A ROBERT GILBERT is listed in White's Directory of 1836 as a Millwright. ROBERT GILBERT (1766-1840) would be 70 years old so, assuming they worked together, it is likely to be his son. The ROBERT GILBERT listed in Kelly's and White's of 1845 as a Millwright also has to be ROBERT born in 1791 as we know that his father died in 18401.
What is a Millwright?
“Derived from the trade of carpentry, a millwright originally was a specialized, trained carpenter who had working knowledge of gear ratios, driveshaft speeds, and other equations. The "mill" in millwright refers to the genesis of the trade in building flour mills and other watermills and windmills".2
In 1840 the watermill in Hingham3
“worked in conjunction with a postmill that had been in the Lane family since at least 1771 and c.1840 John Lane decided to sell it and erect a new towermill at the same location near the south west corner of the pond.
The postmill was bought by millwright, Robert Gilbert, who quite possibly was responsible for building the new towermill for the Lane family. He took the postmill to Banham and erected (to erect?) it on the base of an old towermill..... The body of ...(the)... mill was moved from Hingham on a drug hauled by ten horses; it was to have been erected on top of the ridge, but the drug became bogged and it was decided to build the tower there and erect the mill on it. “
The mill became known as Banham Composite Mill and milled corn. Banham also had a watermill and a post mill but it doesn't look like these were owned by our family. However, they would have been maintained and maybe even built by our ancestors.
“The 40 foot mill consisted of a 15ft 6ins long by 10ft wide postmill buck set onto a curb set on the top of a two storey brick tower that may well have been built for the purpose. The 4 double shuttered patent sails each had 7 bays of 3 shutters. The six bladed fan was set on top of the buck and connected down to a rackThe Banham Composite Mill in 1932
on the curb on the tower engaged by twin spur pinions on the opposite ends of a horizontal shaft. The brake wheel had two pairs of cogs; the outer row with iron segments bolted to the extreme edge of the wheel rim drove the stones and the inner cogs drove the sack hoist and ancilliary machinery.”“The mill started life in Banham with two pairs of French burr stones, a configuration that was later changed to a wooden clasp arm spur wheel that drove two pairs of stones in the breast of the mill and an iron tail wheel drove another pair of stones in the tail of the mill, all the stones being underdriven.
"There was no external access and the interior of the mill was reached via the inside of the brick tower base. The porch was left in situ and fenced to become a balcony. A central strut on each side of the buck connected to the revolving petticoat and lower roof section.”4
I am guessing that the significance of this mill to Banham would mean that flour was no longer ground in neighbouring villages or ground at home. It may also have been a pure business opportunity - a Millwright seeing a gap in the local market.
It is likely that ROBERT GILBERT Snr (1766-1840) brought the composite mill to Banham as the auction of his chattels upon his death includes the mill and describes it as “lately completely fitted up.” He would have been 74, though, so it is likely that his son physically brought it and did the main fitting, but he owned it.
We see that ROBERT GILBERT (1766-1840) dies a wealthy man but does not bequeath his property to his wife (she may well have died by now) nor any of his 10 children despite leaving a Will - according to the auction notice. He owns a Millwright shop and a Mill but does not pass them to his Millwright son, ROBERT (b1791). He owns brick kilns but does not bequeath them to his Brickmaker son GEORGE (b1796). His third son JOSEPH is in Bury St Edmonds in 1841 so may well have already left Banham and we don't know where his youngest son WILLIAM and his family were. It all goes up for auction in October 1840. It may be that each son had his own property and ROBERT agreed the auction with them on making up the Will and they would get the cash. The Will would need to be consulted to confirm this, we only have the auction notice.
However, we see ROBERT GILBERT Snr as a man who is of significance to the fabric of his village. He has his finger in the 'building pie', the 'food pie' the 'drink pie' – at a time when alcohol is safer to consume than water – and is active in the management of the parish as well as literally keeping the cogs and wheels of the area running!
Who bought the mill on ROBERT (1766-1840)'s death? Surprisingly it's not one of his sons. It seems that John MALLETT who occupies the Mill on ROBERT's death in 1840 bought it because it is once again up for sale by auction in May 1863 “by direction of the Executor under the will of Mr John Mallett deceased....”5 This is signficant because it is likely that the mill was then bought by ROBERT GILBERT's (b1791) wife Ann Hewitt's6 family as the mill, house, cottage and just over 5 acres of arable land once again go up for auction on 13 September 1894 as part of the disposal of the estate of the deceased JAS (JAMES?) HEWITT 7 There is a JAMES HEWITT listed as a butcher and a farmer (though spellings seem to change) in the village Directories8. As James Hewitt was about 84 years old at his death in 1894 his relationship to ANN is unclear.
Returning to the 1841 census, ROBERT GILBERT (b1791) is aged 45. They have 3 sons living with them;
- EDWARD born circa 1810 and married to ELIZABETH aged 30. They have a 6 month old son ROBERT (b1841),
- WILLAM (aged 15, so born circa 1826) and
- JOHN (aged 14, so born circa 1827).
All of the sons carry on the trade of Millwright. They also all live in Westgate Street, Banham. In 1851 Robert is employing 2 men, one we can assume is the listed Blacksmith Albert Cooper aged 21 from Bunwell, Norfolk who is living with them. ROBERT's son WILLIAM (b 1826) is living at 119 Westgate Street married to ANN of Shelfanger (aged 28) and they have a 3 year old daughter ELLA EMMA.
We lose track of the third son, JOHN between 1841 and 1881 when he turns up at 7 Harwood Terrace, Fulham, London sharing with the ENGLEFIELD family and married to SOPHIA of Woodbridge, Suffolk. He is 52 years old and still a Millwright.
By 1861, ROBERT (b 1791) and ANN are still together, now 70 years old – again a good age for the time. They still live in Westgate Street and we now know it is number 77.
ROBERT (b 1791) still employs two men. Living with them are two grandsons ARTHUR COOK, aged 24 and THOMAS COOK aged 20, both born in Norwich (these could also be his employees). This implies that Robert and Ann also had a daughter who married and moved away to Norwich unless ARTHUR and THOMAS COOK are adopted grandchildren - maybe through Ann's family (which came from Norwich - maybe she had a sister who died...?) We know that an ISAAC COOK (of Cook's Place fame) farmed from The Grove, Banham and sat on the School Board some 20 years later in 1883 (White's 1883).9
EDWARD (b. circa 1810) and ELIZABETH's son ROBERT (b 1841) is found in Turnpike, Stratton St Mary, Norfolk in 1881 with a wife SUSANNAH aged 32. She was born in nearby Carleton Roole, and they have 4 young sons all born in Stratton St Mary10 . They are living with his much younger brother WILLIAM E GILBERT (born circa 1861) and his family. Both are Millwrights; ROBERT (B 1841) by now being a Master Millwright. SUSANNAH GILBERT (1843-1892) dies and ROBERT, at the age of 53, remarries MARY in about 1893. They have a child MABEL in 1894. ROBERT dies in 1903 (check this could be mary).
WILLIAM E GILBERT marries MARY C. HOGG around 1889 and they have two children ISOBEL A (1890-1952) and WILLIAM E (1889-1951). This line continues today.
1. Notice of auction of chattels, Norfolk Cronicle September 1840 as quoted in www.norfolkmills.co.uk
2. www.wikipedia.com
3bsp; Hingham is on the B1108 and reached by going north through Attleborough - a good 10 miles from Banham.
4. http://www.norfolkmills.co.nz
5. www.norfolkmills.co.nz
6. ANN (HEWITT) GILBERT is probably the same ANN GILBERT who witnessed the youngest Gilbert brother WILLIAM GILBERT's (b 26.12.1802), wedding to REBECCA GASKIN on the 12.10.1831.
7. Norfolk Chronicle - 25th August 1894 quoted in www.norfolkmills.co.uk
8. White's 1836, White's Directory 1845, Hunt's 1850 – not in White's 1883 or Kelly's 1929
9. I concentrated my efforts on Joseph and his family during my research, so the Cook's can easily be checked for in the 1881 census.
10. Robert born 1877 and married to Kate in 1897; George E, born 1878 ; Walter born 1879 and Alfred born 1880
No comments:
Post a Comment