Loddon Mill
River Chet

Contact

Drainage Mills (Windpumps)
Steam Mills
Watermills

c.1946
c.1946

Although Domesday listed a mill at Loddon it would have almost certainly been on a different site. Loddon watermill was sometimes known as Chedgrave mill and is one of the earliest recorded buildings in the town.
The latest mill structure on the present site, situated quite close to the centre of the town, was built of weatherboard with a pantiled roof.


c.1900
c.1900

When the mill was built it was found that the best position for the mill involved diverting the river Chet to the south of its natural course. This involved considerable effort and expense and it has been noted that in times of severe flood the river will attempt to flow via its original channel. The name Loddon translates as muddy river in the Celtic language.


1900 c.1932
1900
c.1932

1584 the will of Robert Poole, miller NCC

his will was dictated - he gave his sowle into the hands of God, his bodie to be buried, all his goods to be divided into 3 parts that every one of his children might have a like part.
Present were Roger Medley & John Rixe
Administration was granted to his 2 sons John Poole & Robert Poole
He was buried in Loddon on 25th October 1584

2 Octer, 2nd Chas. I., 1626.

Loddon, &c. - Bargain and sale by Anthony Hobart, Esqre, of Hales Hall in Loddon, to Henry Best, of Norwich, gentleman, of a water mill and mill house, &c., and an acre of meadow in Loddon, and the site of the manor of Ludden Bacon's alias Loddon Bacon's alias Bacon's Hall in Loddon, otherwise called the Manor Manor yards in Loddon, containing thirty acres and three roods, and the Fair kept in Loddon on the eve of St Martin, in the winter, with the tolls, proffits, &c. : an acre of land in Costinvickes, and twenty-four acres of marsh in Hadiscoe,-R. 57b, in d,1

1706 summary of the will of Henry Hunt, miller of Loddon

. . . As to my worldly estate I will devise order & dispose thereof in manner & form following (That is to say) First I give & bequeath unto Ann Mingay & Elizabeth Mingay my grandchildren £20 apiece to be paid at or in the church porch of Mettingham in the county of Suffolk respectively at their several aged of one & twenty years Nevertheless it is my will & intent that if either of them shall depart this life before she shall attain the age aforesaid not having issue of her body lawfully begotten Then I will & my mind is that the said Twenty pounds as aforesaid given to her that shall soe depart this life as aforesaid shall be enjoyed by the survivor of them at such time as she so dyeing should have been paid the same. Item I give & bequeath unto Elizabeth Loonckin my grandchild other twenty pounds to be paid to her at the place of payment aforesaid at her age of one & twenty years Nevertheless my will & intent is that if the said Elizabeth Loonckin shall depart this life before she shall attain her age aforesaid not having issue of her body lawfully begotten Then I will that the said legacy given to the said Elizabeth Looncklin (Hoonchin) shall cease & be void Item I give to Ann my eldest daughter the wife of Richard Mingay & to her heirs All my Messuage & all & singular my lands & Tenements as well copyhold as freehold situate lying & being in Mettingham with their appurtenances upon condition that she my said daughter or her heirs or some or one of them doe & shall not onely pay or cause to be paid to my said three grandchildren their said several legacies of twenty pounds apiece at their several ages of one & twenty years in manner & form above expressed And it is my will & intent that if default shall happen to be made in payment thereof or any part thereof contrary to the true intent of me herein expressed That then & from thenceforth & as often as it shall so happen or be it shall & maybe lawful to & for my said three grand children either or any of them & to & for their several Executors Administrators or Assigns being unpaid the same or any part thereof contrary to this my Will to enter into all & singular my said Messuages land Tenements & premises given my said daughter as aforesaid with appurtenances or into any of them & the same to have hold & enjoy until by the rents & profits thereof she they & every of them being so unpaid shall be fully satisfied her & their several legacies aforesaid & all her & their reasonable costs & damaged that shall be sustained by means or occasion of such non payment but also my mind & meaning is that my said daughter & her heirs some or one of them out of my said Messuage land & tenements do & shall at or in any place of payment aforesaid well & truly pay & cause to be paid into the proper hands of Elizabeth Looncklin/Hooncklinmy youngest daughter one annual sum of four pounds during the natural life of the said Elizabeth by four equal portions in every year that is to say upon the twenty fifth day of March the twenty fourth day of June the twenty ninth day of September and the twenty fifth day of December the first quarterly payment to begin upon such of the said days as shall come next after my decease for & as a separate maintenance provision & benefit to her & whereof or wherewith I will her present husband shall have no manner of benefit or intermeddling provided always & it is my will & meaning further that in case my said eldest daughter or her heirs or some or one of them shall not well & truly pay or cause to be paid etc and she makes a lawful demand then as often as it shall happen I devise limit & appoint all my aforesaid messuages etc in Mettingham unto Mr Robert Woods Sen. of Loddon & John Spall of Ellingham in Norfolk my friends & to their heirs etc ......to ensure that the youngest daughter receives her annuity etc Item I give my said youngest daughter all such goods as Alice Hunt my mother in law has in occupation & are to come to me at her death as Executor of Henry Hunt my late deceased father yet if the said Alice shall survive me I will my Executors shall lend unto my said youngest daughter until the death of the said Alice a feather bed & such other things as shall be necessary her a room fit for her condition which if she shall not restore again to my Executors at the death of the said Alice Hunt in good repair I will she shall not have the goods I have given her as aforesaid Moreover I give her my said youngest daughter to be paid into her pp hands for her separate use twenty shillings to be paid within a week after my decease Item all the rest of my goods Chattels & personal Estate I give wholly & solely unto the said Ann my eldest daughter & do make her & the said Richard Mingay her husband Executors of this my last will & Testament And I do revoke & make void all former Wills & Testaments by me made In Witness whereof to this my last will & Testament I have put my hand & seal this ninth day of July in the year of our Lord Christ one thousand seven hundred & three.
Witnessed by William Gaudy, Frances Gaudy, Susan Pearce

Probate was granted on 15th May 1706
Henry Hunt was not buried in Loddon

An Inventory of the goods & chattels of
Henry Hunt late of Loddon in the County of Norfolk
deceased at the time of his death which were valued &
apprized by William Shreeve of Loddon aforesaid &
Richard Bretton the younger of Mettingham in Suffolk
Miller this 23rd day of April 1706 as followeth

 
In the dwelling house of the party deceased
In the kitchen
Three old tables 1 form 6 chairs 2 stools
1 old cold for pewter 1 old screen 1 salt box
Earthen pottery 1 brush & 4 candlesticks

1 pair of Andirons 2 pairs of tongs 1 firepan
2 gridirons 2 hakes a chafing dish a chopping
Knife 2 spits a flesh fork 1 cliver 2 smoothing
irons & heaters 4 iron skewers 1 slice a
pair of bellows

one Gun & a coal cradle & toasting iron 6/-
15 pewter dishes & the rest of the pewter
Together by weight 54 pounds

One brass pot one brass kettle3 skillets
& a pair of old books


£1 - 00 00

 



00 - 18 - 06

 

 

00 - 16 - 00

£1 - 11 - 00

00 - 15 - 00
00 02/-

In the Lodging room where he died
The wearing apparel of the deceased
One bed as it stand
4 leather chairs a cupboard 1 spice box
& a warming pan

£5 - 00 - 00
£3 - 00 - 00

00 -14 - 06

In the Buttery adjoining the said room
One iron kettle 1 frying pan 2 iron pots
4 beer vessels 1 powdering tub 1 kneading killer (keeler)
2 beer stools a dripping pan 2 dozen
& a half of trenchers & 3 shelves a sieve & .
several wooden dishes & earthen pots &
pans & glasses bottles there

£00 - 16 - 00

£1 - 00 - 00
In the Brewhouse
One Copper as it hangeth
A mash tub 1 other brewing tub , bucking
Stand 7 killers 2 pails 2 other tubs 3
Bowles a half barrel a funnel a wash
Basket a hook a hatchet a fork a rake
A stool a peel a coal rake & a hairing line

£1 - 10 - 00


£1 - 10 - 00
In the Chamber over the said kitchen
One bed as it stand
4 chairs 1 table with a drawer 1 chest 2 coffers
Keeping the household linen of the deceased viz
A pair of sheets & an odd one & the rest of his household linen valued together at


£4 - 05 - 00
£1 - 00 - 00

5 - 00 - 00

In the Chamber next adjoining
One bed as it stands
1 chair 1 stool 2 old trunks & 2 coffers

£2 - 00 - 00
00 - 08 - 00
In the Garrett
One bed as it stands
A parcel of old iron with the lumber there
In corn in the said chamber & in the
chambers of Peter Critoft & Richard Goodwyn
viz 50 combs of wheat
7 combs of Rye
2 bushels of barley 3/- 1 dozen of corn sacks 12/-


£1 - 00 - 00
00 - 12 - 00

£25 - 00 - 00

£2 - 10 - 00
£00 - 15 - 00

In the Water mill
2 pairs of scales & the weights 3 meal hutches
2 iron crows the several iron bills a brandlet
A fann a bushel peck & half peck measures
A corn skep & an old millstone

A parcel of old iron with the Lumber there



£3 - 09 - 00



00 - 10 - 00
  £65 - 02 - 06
In the stable
A parcel of hay
2 horses 1 bridle & saddle together at
In the yards & grounds one plough & pair
Of harrows as they go
The several & remaining husbandry tools
Wood & firing


00 - 10 - 00
£8 - 08 - 00
£1 - 00 - 00

5/-
£3 - 10 - 00

In the Windmill of the deceased
The sail cloths belonging thereunto
2 great hammers a quarter of a
Hundred a stone & a half hundred weights

In lumber about the said house yard & mills

In ready money

In debts good & bad


12/-

13/-

1/-

19/-

23 - 14 - 00

William Shreeve
Richard Bretton
Appraiser
 

1749 22 April Manor of Loddon Bacons A Special Court

Baron of Stephen Gardiner Esq Lord of the Manor held at his Dwelling House in his presence ..... at the Request of Thomas Rayner Miller
To this Court Comes into Court Charles Utting and Elizabeth his Wife Copyhold Tenants or one of them a Copyhold Tenant of this Manor (She the said Elizabeth by the said Lord first Solely and Secretly examined and Consenting) and Surrendered out of their and either of their Hands into the proper Hands of the said Lord by the Rod All and Singular the Messuages Lands & Tenements and Hereditaments whatsoever of them the said Charles Utting and Elizabeth his wife or either of them holden of the said Manor by Copy of Court Roll with their and every of their appurtenances And the Reversion and reversions Remainder and Remainders thereof And also all the Estate Right Title use Interest Benefits and Equity of Redemption Claim and Demand whatsoever of them the said Charles Utting and Elizabeth his Wife or either of them of in to the said Premisses and every part thereof with the appurtenances To the use and Behoof of Thomas Rayner of Loddon in the County of Norfolk Miller his heirs and assignes for ever absolutely and without any manner of Condition whatsoever Whereupon the said Thomas Rayner present in Court in his own proper Person humbly Praised the Favour of the Lord of this Manor to be admitted Tenant of the Premisses to him surrendered as aforesaid (that is to say) To one Pightle of Land lying on the South of the Mill Pool in Loddon lying between the said Pool on the part of the North as the same is divided from the Messuages and Lands now or late of Bartholomew Hiler? with a certain Pathway on the South part and contains by Estimation thirteen Perches whether more or less Which Premisses the said Charles Utting late had and took up to him and his Heirs at a general Court Baron for the said Manor the . day of November which was in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred Fourteen by the Surrender and last will and Testament of Henry Utting his father To which said Thomas Rayner the Lord of this Manor by his own proper hands delivered Seizen thereof by the Rod To hold all and singular the Premises aforesaid with their and every of their Appurtenances to him the said Thomas Rayner his heirs and assigns for ever of the Lord of this Manor at the Will of the said Lord according to the Custom of this Manor by the antient and accustomed rents and Services therefore due and of the Right accustomed Saving everyone's Right and so forth and he Gave to the Lord fine and so forth and he is thus admitted Tenant and his Fealty is respited


Bacons Manor Court roll 1775 Nov 22
Eliz Rayner Admd by the will of Thos Rayner

this Manor by the Rod All his Messuages Lands & Tenements and Hereditaments whatsoever holden of this Manor by copy of Court Roll To the use of & Behoof of his last Will and Testament declared or to be declared And at this Court it is presented by the Homage thereof that the said Thomas Rayner died since the last General Court Baron held for this Manor and before this Court seized of and in divers Lands & Tenements holden of this Manor by Copy of Court Roll Now to this Court comes Elizabeth Rayner widow and Relict of the said Thomas Rayner in her own proper person and produced here in Court the last Will and Testament of the said
note in margin Fine 3/-
copy made & d d Lock Nolleth 6 Nov 1776

Thomas Rayner bearing date the twenty s.. Day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy five in which are these words "In the Name of God Amen I Thomas Rayner of Norton Subcourse in the County of Norfolk yeoman &c , First I give and devise All and singular my Messuages Lands Tenements and Hereditaments whatsoever with their and every of their Rights Members & Appurtenances and all and singular my Water Mills and Wind Mills with their and every of their Going Gears Stones Sails Cloths Utensils Implements and Appurtenances thereto belonging or in anywise appertaining unto Mary Rayner Widow my Mother and Elizabeth Rayner my wife and the survivor of them the said Mary Rayner and Elizabeth Rayner and the Heirs and Assignes of the Survivor of them for ever they paying &c : as in and by the said Will (rel.. being thereunto had) may appear And the said Elizabeth Rayner informs the Court that the said Mary Rayner died since the said Thomas Rayner And thereupon by virtue of the said Will of the said Thomas Rayner and the said Surrender to the use of the same she the said Elizabeth Rayner humbly prays the Favour of the Lord and Lady of this Manor to be admitted Tenant to the Lands and Tenements so given and devised to her (that is to say) To one Pightle of Land lying on the South part of the Mill pool
note in margin 15 Nov 1787 Thomas Horth
in Loddon lying between the said Pool on the part of the North as the same is divided from the Messuage and Lands now or late of Bartholomew Stiles with a certain Path Way ... on the South, Part and containing by Estimation thirteen Perches whether more or less (Which Premisses the said Thomas Rayner late had and took up to him and his Heirs on the Surrender of Charles Utting and Elizabeth his Wife at the said Court held the twenty second day of April one thousand seven hundred and forty nine, as by the Rolls thereof may appear To Which said Elizabeth Rayner the Lord and Lady of this Manor by the Hands of the said Steward do deliver seizing of the said Premisses by the Rod (To Hold to her the said Elizabeth Rayner her Heirs and Assignes according to the Form and Effect of the said Will of the said Thomas Rayner of the Lord and Lady of this Manor by the Rents and Services therefore due and of right accustomed saving every one's Right &so forth And she the gives the Lord and Lady for a fine & so forth And she is thus admitted Tenant and her Fealty is respited
She the Sd Eliz surrendered to her will
Immediately afterwards ...


It is presented by the Homage of this Court and Testified by William Holmes Gentleman Deputy Steward of the said Gardiner Harwood known Steward of the said Manor and the Courts thereof lawfully authorized by Virtue of a Deputation under the Hand and Seal of the said Gardiner Harwood bearing Date the ninth day of December Instant That on the on the Fifteenth Day of December Instant Richard Bowen of Norton Subcors in the County of Norfolk Bricklayer and Elizabeth his Wife she the said Elizabeth being a Copyhold tenant of the said Manor came before the said Deputy Steward(She the said Elizabeth being first safely and separately examined apart from her said Husband after thereto freely and voluntarily consenting as the Law required) and out of Court according to the Custom of the said Manor Did surrender out of their and each of their Hands into the Hands of the Lord and Lady of the said Manor by the Hands of the said Deputy Steward by the Rod in the Person and Testimony of Edward Mickleburgh a Credible Person Witnessing the same All and every the Messuages Lands Tenements and Hereditaments whatsoever of the said Richard Bowen and Elizabeth his Wife and of each and either of them holden of the said Manor by Copy of Court Roll with their and every of their Rights Members Appurt . . .


Elizabeth Bowen was buried in Norton Subcourse on 23rd December 1783, aged 59, wife of Richard Bowen, late widow of Thomas Rayner née Elizabeth Nollorth.


One of the earlier known millers was William Burton snr who was born in Colton c.1774 and was left money by his maternal grandfather to pay for his apprenticeship.

He first married Sarah King but there are virtually no known details of this liason. On 17th May 1813, he married his second wife Mary Rush in Loddon. William and Mary had eight children - Sarah Ann Burton bapt 8th July 1803; William Burton bapt 5th May 1803 (died soon after birth); William Burton jnr bapt 27th June 1809 Loddon; Esther Burton born c.1823 Loddon.

William jnr worked as miller with his father for many years. He married Elizabeth Napp (born c.1818) on 25th December 1837 at Loddon. Before Elizabeth died (buried 18th August 1840), they had one child, Elizabeth, who went on to marry Arthur Trollope at Newton Flotman on 11th May 1858. She died at New Lakenham 17 years later on 23rd April 1875.

William Burton snr. died in 1852 and was buried in Loddon churchyard beside 2nd wife Mary and 2 daughters Martha and Esther.
William left instructions that both the towermill and the watermill along with the land should be sold with £1,000 of the proceeds to be invested in government stock.


Burton
family tree

A very good WATER-MILL, WIND-MILL, DWELLING HOUSE, and about nine Acres of Land, at Loddon, in Norfolk. - The Situation of above Water-mill is so well known, that it is needless to point it out to the Public.
For Particulars apply to Messrs. FOSTER, SON & UNTHANK,
Attornies in Norwich
Norfolk Chronicle - 8th May 1784


To be SOLD
A Very good WATER-MILL, WIND-MILL, DWELLING-HOUSE & about nine Acres of Land at Loddon in Norfolk. The situation of the above Watermill is so well known, that it is needless to point it out to the Public.
For Particulars apply to Messrs. FOSTER, SON & UNTHANK, Attornies in Norwich.
Norfolk Chronicle - 1st, 8th, 15th & 22nd May 1784


To be SOLD by AUCTION
By Richard BACON
On Monday 19 July Instant at 3 o'c in the Afternoon at the Rampant Horse in St. Stephens.
A Very good WATERMILL, Windmill, Dwelling-house & about nine Acres of Land in Loddon in Norfolk.
For Particulars apply to Messrs. FOSTER, SON & UNTHANK, Attornies in Norwich.
Norfolk Chronicle - 3rd, 10th, & 17th July 1784


1787 Nov 15 after the death of Elizabeth three proclamations were made at the Court asking for her heirs
When no one came the order was given that the property be seized by the Bailiff
to this Court comes Thomas Horth of the City of Norwich Gentleman (by Francis Thomas [Quarles] Gentleman in his behalf his Attorney) and himself prays the favour of the Lord and Lady of the Manor that they would be pleased to Regrant All and every the Lands and Tenements late of the said Elizabeth Bowen to him the said Thomas Horth . . .
the Lord and Lady did regrant
Court Rolls


Thomas Horth's son, John of Thorpe, gentleman, appears at the following Loddon Bacons Manor Court Court held 22nd October 1789 to present his father's will:

First I do hereby subject and charge my Water mill and all my Messuages Lands tenements and Herditaments as well copyhold as freehold in Loddon in the County of Norfolk to and with the payment of 12/- to Ruth my Wife on the Monday of every week during her Natural lifetime . . . subject to the weekly sum of 12/- to my said Wife during her life I Give and devise these unto John my son and to his Heirs and Assignes..

John begged admission to the property
the Lord and Lady did regrant
Court Rolls


Norfolk Chronicle - 3rd June 1797
Norfolk Chronicle - 3rd June 1797

William Gower was buried in Loddon on 2nd October 1796 aged 23.
There is circumstantial evidence that he had married a sister of William Burton who is the next miller


In 1798 a Land Tax to help His Majesty amounting to £2.12.6d
was paid by John Horth / Edward & William Burton


It is presented to the Homage of this Court that on the eighteenth day of June in the year of our Lord 1802 John Horth of the City of Norwich Upholsterer a Copyhold tenant of this Manor came before William Forster the Younger Deputy Steward of the said Manor and of the Court thereof And out of Court according to the Custom of the Manor Did surrender by the Rod out of his hands into the hands of the of the Lord of this Manor by the hands of the said Deputy Steward (in the presence and testimony of William Marshbank Gentleman a credible person attesting the same All and every the Messuages land Tenements and hereditaments whatsoever of him the said John Horth holden of the Manor by Copy of Court roll with their and every of their appurtenances etc etc
to the Sole and Only and absolute use of Sir Roger Kerrison of the said City of Norwich Knight Lord of the Manor and his heirs and assigns . . .
Cour Rolls - 7th December 1802


By 1808 the Kerrison family of bankers, lawyers andn land owners had financial problems and Lord of the Manor, Roger Allday Kerrison was declared Bankrupt. The Newspapers reported the bankruptcy and announced the sale of property.

NORFOLK MANORS, ESTATES &C
THE FOLLOWING VALUABLE ESTATES

CONSISTING OF
MANORS, FARMS, PARCELS OF LAND, MILLS,
DWELLING HOUSES

AND OTHER PROPERTY
in Loddon, Kirby Cane, Little Plumpstead, Hetherset
And Adjoining Towns in Norfolk
Chiefley let to most respectable tenants from year to year,
or on leases nearly expired
To be SOLD BY AUCTION
BY BAILEY BIRD
At the Kings Head in the Market Place on
Saturday the 26th day of November 1808
precisely at Threeo'clock in the Afternoon in the undermentioned Lots
by order of the Assignees
OF THOMAS ALLDAY KERRISON a Bankrupt

Lot 8. A dwelling House, and substantial Water Mill and
wind mill, in the best repair in Loddon, and nearly 10 acres
of good arable and meadow land, in the occupation of
Mr William Burton.


Lot 8
A DWELLING-HOUSE with a Substantial Water-Mill and Wind-Mill, in full trade, and 10acres f good Arable and Meadow land, situate in Loddon, now in the occupation of Mr William Burton, under a lease, of which 26 years will be unexpired at Lady-Day next, at the yearly rent of £45. The House & Mills are in complete repair, the present tenant having expended a considerable sum in improving the old, and erecting new buildings.
Freehold-and the only outgoing is an annual payment of 9s for the Land-tax to Loddon and Chedgrave
Mr A Taylor £960
- the purchaser noted in the Catalogue
Sale Catalogue found amongst the deeds of Bugden House


Faden's map 1797
Faden's map 1797

Bryant's map 1826
Bryant's map 1826

Tithe Award 1841
Map by W. G. Jones
Owner: Rev. John Gilbert
Occupier: Nelson Hayward

No. 423
No. 579
No. 582
No. 609

House Watermill & yards
Mill Meadow
do
Mill & Field

 



4a. 0r. 32p.

Pt. £1. 4. 9 to Vicar
17.8 to Imprs.


William Burton snr. died in 1852 and is buried at Loddon beside 2nd wife Mary and 2 daughters Martha and Esther. William left instructions that both the towermill and the watermill along with the land should be sold with £1,000 to be invested in government stock


LODDON MILLS
To be Let on LEASE from April 6, 1853
A BRICK_TOWER_MILL and a WATER MILL with Dwelling House, Barn, Stable and about 10a. of Land
Application to be made by letter stamped and directed to A.B. to be left at the Post Office, Loddon.
Norfolk Chronicle - 4th December 1852


LODDON
LODDON MILLS

TO BE LET ON LEASE from April the 6th, 1853, a A BRICK_TOWER-MILL and a WATER MILL, with Dwelling-house, Barn, Stable, and about Ten Acres of LAND. Each Mill drives two pair of stones. - Application to be made by letter, stamped and directed to A.B., to be left at the Post-office, Loddon.
Norfolk News - 8th January 1853

Jonathan Feltham took over the watermill and the towermill in 1853 but preferred use a manager at the watermill, rather than run it himself. He possibly called on Michael Hardy, journeyman Miller who the 1861 census records as living in Chedgrave Street and 60 year old journeyman Thomas Napp jnr living next door. Thomas Napp snr was miller at the Mill Road postmill until 1809.


SITUATIONS VACANT
To Millers
WANTED, a steady active married Man to see after a small Water Mill and make himself generally useful.
Apply to J. Feltham, Loddon Mill
Norfolk News - 5th October 1861

To Millers
WANTED, a steady respectable Man that has a good knowledge of his Business.
Apply to J. Feltham, Norwich Corn Hall.

Norfolk News - 15th June 1872

Situations Vacant
TO MILLERS
Wanted, a steady honest Married Man to take the General Work of a small Water Mill.
Apply to J. Feltham, Loddon Mills or at Corn Hall, Norwich.

Norfolk News - 16th October 1875

FELTHAM Jonathan
Personal Estate under £3,000.
17 August. The Will of Jonathan Feltham formerly of Loddon but late of Sizeland both in the County of Norfolk Miller and Farmer who died 7 July 1878 at Sizeland was proved at Norwich by Mary Ann Feltham of Sizeland Widow the Relict the surviving Executor.

Jonathan Feltham , born 4th June 1820, died on 7th July 1878, aged 58
His wife Mary Ann Feltham born 19th March 1823, died 21st October 1887, aged 64, survived him and was his executor.
Jonathan and Mary were both buried in Siseland, with Mary being brought back from Wanstead for burial.


Jonathan Feltham, Deceased.
Notice re claim on Estate of Jonathan Feltham formerly of Loddon & late of Sizeland, Miller & Farmer, who died on or about 7 July 1878, to Surviving Executor, Mary Ann Feltham; will proved 17 August 1878.

Overbury & Gilbert, Solrs. to said Executors.
Norfolk Chronicle - 10th April 1880

London Gazette - 23rd December 1898
London Gazette - 23rd December 1898

Arthur Charles Sadd b.1854 Henstead, Suffolk, was one of the founders of Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co. Ltd. and in 1901 was living lived at The Beeches, Loddon. He was married to Anna Ellen Cross born c.1857 Hatherleigh, Devonshire.

WSM brochure

WSM brochure   WSM brochure

Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co's horse waggon c.1905 Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co's traction engine in 1905
Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co's horse waggon c.1905
Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co's traction engine in 1905

Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co's traction engine in 2005
Model of Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co's traction engine in 2005

c.1908 c.1910
c.1908
c.1910
Two early pictures taken from the Chedgrave side. Both show the 'smut box' just to the right of the mill, this filtered out the chaff etc. from the air, like an extractor fan.  The steam engine house and its chimney are set further back.  On the left of the right hand photo is the HQ of Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co. Ltd.

c.1912
Traction engine in the River Chet c.1912

27th August 1912
27th August 1912

27th August 1912 27th August 1912 with the auger casing exposed
27th August 1912
27th August 1912 with the auger casing exposed

Crowd at mill 27Aug1912
Crowd watching - 27th August 1912

The great flood that took place after torrential rain on 27th and 28th August 1912 devastated the area around Loddon along with the rest of Norfolk. At about midnight on the 27th a section of the roadway next to the mill was washed away and part of the bridge caved in soon afterwards. The mill itself was in serious danger of collapse as more and more of the road and bridge beside the mill were washed away. A gang of 40 men worked to try and preserve as much of the area around the mill's foundations as possible and succeeded in saving the mill.

Soon after Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co. took over in the late 1880s they installed a coal fired steam engine and a roller mill, although the stones remained for grist grinding. At this time sacks of grain were carried on men's shoulders from the four granaries on the north bank of the river. It was soon realised that this method was far from ideal and so a worm conveyor (auger) was installed, passing under the road to connect the mill with the granaries. This required the construction of an elevator within the mill building that in turn meant raising part of the roof at the north end of the mill. The auger casing is clearly seen in photos of the 1912 floods that washed much of the road away.

In 1900 Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co. were officially reprimanded by the local council for using a steam whistle for summoning or dismissing their workforce. Apparently the council had not given permission, which meant Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co. were in breach of the Factories (Steam Whistles) Act of 1872.


Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co. used wherries for transporting various commodities along the navigable section of the Chet and together with Case & Steward (corn & seed merchants) were responsible for dredging the river to improve navigation to the staithe. Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co. built up a fleet of Norfolk wherries including the Benjamin, Orion, The Lowestoft Trader and Ursa Minor. They also had three iron wherries, the Sirius, Uranus and Vega. Their sails were removed after the first world war and they were then towed by tugs.

Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co. also excavated a turning area for wherries just below the mill. The local children used it as a swimming area and visiting wherries were charged a shilling to turn there. Some would put their mast down to get under the chain barrier and turn for free under the cover of darkness. The last wherry to bring coal to Loddon was the Plane in 1934. It was owned by the Yarmouth Shipping Co. and skippered by George "Nolly" Farrow. Later the Plane's name was changed to the Albion and is still sailing the Broads in 2003.

The wherries brought in a variety of products. Coal came in from Yarmouth and was graded before being sold in Loddon and the surrounding area for 1/- or 1/1d per cwt.


WSM's workmen at the staithe c.1920
WSM's workmen at the staithe c.1920

In 1928 the mill was finally converted to electricity and used to husk trefoil, a type of clover that was brought in from Essex, Hertfordshire and Suffolk. The ground husks were quality inspected under a microscope to ensure the seed had not been chipped, otherwise it would not grow. The seeds were mainly exported to Germany where they were planted to produce animal feed and act as a legume crop to increase the Nitrogen content of the soil. Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co. became the largest red clover (trefoil) dehusking plant in the country.


Tailrace in 1953

East Anglian Times - Monday August 3rd 1942
East Anglian Times - Monday August 3rd 1942

My grandfather Henry Edwin Sadd was a partner in the firm Woods Sadd Moore & Co Ltd along with his brother Arthur Charles Sadd.
I have a postcard from my G-Father to my mother in which he stated in part
"Also just heard that the B huns have got us (Woods Sadd and Moore).  Office gone near Thorpe, Nothing left not even a sheet of paper, also Office on Hill and the Granary at Thorpe but not Thorpe Station."
This explains the "fire" referred to in the newspaper.

John Corbishley, Canada - 4th August 2006


Early 1960s June 1967
Early 1960s
Early 1960s

October 1970 Mill house and restaurant c.1977
October 1970
Mill house and restaurant c.1977

The mill carried on with grist and small scale flour production along with the dehusking of an annual crop of trefoil until 1968, when it was closed and sold by the Gilberts of Chedgrave Manor Estate. It's new owner decommissioned it but quickly agreed to reconnect the electricity supply and rent the mill out on a temporary basis when the new season's crop of trefoil suddenly arrived.


The truncated steam chimney
The truncated steam chimney
27th July 1983

LODDON MILL
FOR SALE FREEHOLD
With the benefit of Planning consent
For conversion to Restaurant and the
Sale of Antiques

This is an old cornmill, distinctively clad in white boarding standing over the River Chet in Loddon, ten miles south of Norwich. Loddon has become a centre for boating enthusiasts and is developing in popularity.
The mill consists of a four-storey wooden-clad building on four floors, with a slated roof and mill race below. It is offered as it stands, including all the original machinery and equipment.
The brick boiler house at the rear is not included in the sale and is in separate ownership, as is the cottage to one side.
The ground floor areas are approximately as follows:
GROUND FLOOR Main room 48' x 20' plus two or three smaller rooms, w.c.
FIRST FLOOR 30' 6" x 25' and 22' 8" x 14' average
SECOND FLOOR 26' x 20'
THIRD FLOOR 26' x 20'
OUTSIDE A small triangular piece of land suitable for parking three or four cars N.B. A free public car park is immediately opposite.
Planning consent has been obtained for restaurant use on two floors and for the retail sale of antiques from the property. Detailed drawings have not been made, the application for consent was in outline only.
The price for the freehold with vacant possession is:-
£14,000, good offers considered.
The key may be obtained from this office by prior arrangement
Mills Warner & Coe - Property Particulars, 1st July 1975

After standing empty and deteriorating for a time, the mill was externally repaired and repainted in 1970.

In 1975 Norman Chalk and Neville Codling converted the building into a restaurant at an estimated cost of £10,000 - £15,000. Planning permission limited the restaurant to a maximum of 40 covers.


French burr stones 18th June 2003 Runner stone
2 pairs of original French burr stones 18th June 2003
Runner stone

The two pairs of stones pictured above were plated W. J. & T. Child. Makers. Hull & Leeds.


I was on holiday in the broads 12 years ago my friend and I were looking round the mill, it was a wednesday morning, there was a husband and wife working there and a man working up in the attics. I was with my friend Lindsay and we were shown to the toilets next to the restaurant (It was closed). The light bulb had gone in the ladies so we were asked to use the gents, I turned my back to look at a picture (few seconds) I turned round to see a man in grey trousers and a blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up walking DOWN the stairs waving. I did not see his face but remember smiling to myself.
About 2 minutes later the owner appeared from UPSTAIRS and made me jump. It seems there were only 5 of us in the building so who or where the man came from, well it was a mystery.
I even went down to see the owners wife who confirmed nobody had come past her, I asked about the man in the attics, he did not match the description.
We left the mill a short time later.
I telephoned home on the Friday night and to my horror was reluctantly told my Grandad who I adored, had passed away on the Wednesday morning, I was collecting him from hospital on the Saturday to take him home with me and my husband to convalesce from a chest infection.
The man I saw was my grandad, it had to be, coming to say farewell to me.
He was called John Walter Holland.
Has anyone else seen him? It would be nice to know.
It has been twelve years since he passed away (8th July) and I still miss him.

Cheryl Cox- 15th July 2004


I grew up in the 1930's and 40's frequently visiting my grandparents at Chedgrave Lodge, my grandfather Richard Sutton who built it in 1900, became director of Wood Sadd Moore who owned the mill at that time. I often went with him to the mill, when he visited and to this day I can recall the character of the noise the sacks and smell, a dusty sweet smell, and the staircases going up and up, and the cats, kept there to catch the vermin. All our surpless kittens went to the mills. One old cat we had was taken to Lingwood mill, after months she turned up back at our house having walked back from Lingwood to Gorleston where we lived. My father Alec Sutton grew up at Chedgrave Lodge and by the 1940's was a director of Wood Sadd Moore. I believe my grandfather worked for Cannells the seed merchants in Chedgrave firstly.
Mrs S. A. Cox - 9th December 2009


I am the great granddaughter of Alfred Woods of Loddon, Lowestoft and Beccles. I saw the Mill some years ago when it was a restaurant and was shown over the building. My father, Francis Maitland Woods was the son of William Maitland Woods, the son of Alfred. He was named after his uncle, Francis Cunningham Woods.
William Mattland Woods went as a Missionary to Thursday Island after Oxford, then to Australia before enlisting in the Light Horse as Chaplain. He died in 1927 in Hawaii. My father Francis Maitland, also enlisted in the Light Horse and then lived in Sydney, Australia.
I am his elder daughter and use my maiden name. I have eight photos of the mill taken at around the time of the flood, including one of the tractor in your article Elizabeth Woods.

Elizabeth Woods - 5th December 2011


9th September 2003 9th September 2003 with the steam shed to the rear
9th September 2003
9th September 2003 with the steam shed to the rear

Wooden toothed gearwheels beside the road 9th Sept 2003
Wooden toothed gearwheels beside the road 9th Sept 2003

I am the great grandson of Alfred Woods. My grandfather, Alex Girvan, FRCS Edinburgh, married Alfred's daughter, Delia Woods, by whom he had a son, Ian Waveney Girvan, my father, who died in 1964.
Ian Alexander Girvan - 20th September 2012


My name is Steven Pitcher and I have been a residant of Loddon most of my life, my story about Loddon mill took place around 1986/87, I am 33 now (Jan 2013) so I was about 7 or 8 years old.
At the time the mill was a restaurant and we had gone there for a meal as it was my birthday, both me and my brother (Gary 2 years younger) needed the toilet so we both made our way down to the mens, we walked down and directly opposite was the door to the toilet but to the right the room opened up and was littered with unused equipment and various random things (covered in dust and being young we were intrigued) our attention was drawn to two pictures hanging on the wall, which at the time I remember thinking that it was odd to have pictures hanging in an old dusty store room. We then went into the toilet and when washing our hands we both heard two loud noises a split second apart which sounded like glass smashing, we exited the toilet and saw that these two pictures we had been looking at had both fallen down and smashed! (to which we ran like the wind back up the stairs to our parents) I never saw anything or anyone in there but it was very odd how and why these pictures just fell off the wall on thier own and one straight after the other.
The reason I contacted you is that I was working the night shift few years ago and the subject got on to ghosts and ghoulies, I told my story and my work mate (who I dont think believed me) went online and brought up this web page, we scrolled down and saw the story by Cheryl Cox... after reading it out we were both left a bit opened mouth as both stories were quite simular to one another (same location exactly and involving a picture), I'm not trying to dispell any comfort Cheryl may have got that she thought it may be her grand father saying fairwell but my experience happened 15 years previous... Was this a coincidence, the same spirit, whichever or whatever the explainations it still seems very odd indeed.
I hope you enjoyed hearing of my experience , it was reassuring to read someone had shared a simular one.

Steven Pitcher - 7th January 2013


O. S. Map 1884
O. S. Map 1884
Courtesy of NLS map images
The above map clearly shows the river above the mill taking a sharp turn to the southeast before flowing in a straight line to the mill. Prior to this new cut being made, the river's course was basically east to west and the new mill was built to the south of the original watercourse. Both Faden's map of 1797 and Bryant's map of 1826 show the river flowing along its original course with no mill.

O.S. Map 2005
O.S. Map 2005
Image reproduced under licence from Ordnance Survey

Norfolk Chronicle 1795: William Gower listed as agent for The Norwich General Assurance Office

White's 1836: John Chapman, corn & coal dealer

White's 1845: Samuel Wright, millwright

White's 1854: Samuel Wright, millwright

Kelly's 1892: Charlotte Chapman (Mrs.), pork butcher
Kelly's 1892: William Chapman jun, baker & highway surveyor

Kelly's 1896: Charlotte Chapman (Mrs.), pork butcher
Kelly's 1896: William Chapman jun, baker & confectionr. agents for Morgan's Brewery Co. Ltd

Kelly's 1900: Charlotte Chapman (Mrs.), pork butcher

Kelly's 1900:
William Chapman jun, dealer in corn, flour, pollards, meals, malt & hops; agent for Morgan's Brewery Col. Lim. ale & porter merchants

Kelly's 1904:
William Chapman jun, wine, spirit, ale & porter merchant & dealer in corn, flour, pollards, meals, malt & hops; agent for Morgan's Brewery Co. Lim.; & poultry farmer, Chedgrave

Kelly's 1908:
William Chapman jun, wine, spirit, ale & porter merchant & dealer in corn, flour, pollards, meals, malt & hops; agent for Morgan's Brewery Co. Lim.; & poultry farmer, Chedgrave

1584: Robert Pole, miller, died

Loddon Index of Wills 1584: Robert Poole, miller

October 1626: Anthony Hobart of Hales Hall sold the mill to Henry Best of Norwich

7th May 1697: Joseph Chamberleyn for the mills taxed at one shilling per month for the war against France

Loddon Index of Wills 1706: Henry Hunt

November 1714: Charles Utting, miller, took over the mill tenancy after the death of his father Henry Utting

1735: Mr. Beals, miller

1739: John Rayner, miller

1744: John Rayner el
ected an Overseer Rayner for the Mills

1749: Thomas Rayner, (son of John Rayner) took over the tenancy of the mill from Charles & Elizabeth Utting

1765: Thomas Rayner, miller took on apprentice Lenny Osborne

c.1778: Elizabeth Rayner remarried to Richard Bowen of Norton Subcourse

1779: Mr. Gooding, overseer for the Mills

23rd December 1783: Elizabeth Bowen buried at Norton Subcourse

May 1784: Mill advertised for sale along with windmill

July 1784: Mill advertised for sale by auction along with windmill

1787: Thomas Horth of St Stephens in Norwich took over the mill tenancy

12th December 1788: Thomas Horth of St Stephens buried at St Peter Mancroft in Norwich

1789: Thomas Horth's son John of Thorpe took over the mill tenancy

1797: William Gower, sub tenant miller, died

1798: Tenant owner: Thomas Horth; Occupier: William Burton, son of Edward Colton, miller & Edward Burton

7th December 1802: Thomas Horth surrendered the mill property to Sir Roger Kerrison, Lord of the Manor

1808: Mill owner, Thomas Allday Kerrison, bankrupt

1808: William Burton, miller

26th November 1808: Watermill & windmill sold by auction due to the banruptcy of Roger Allday Kerrison

26th November 1808: Watermill & windmill bought by A. Taylor for £960 - with incumbent William Burton

1823: William Burton assessed for Land Tax at £1.19.1½d

1829: William Burton assessed for Land Tax at 2/-.

White's 1836: William Burton, corn miller - also at Mill Road towermill

Tithe Award 1841:
Owner: Rev. John Gilbert; Occupier: William Burton

Census 1841:

William Burton (65) miller
Mary Burton (65)
William Burton (30)
Martha Burton (20)
Esther Burton (15) son

Elizabeth Burton (10 mnths)
Samuel Alexander (20), miller
George Burton (30)
Susannah Burton (30) wife
George Burton (5)
David Burton (3)
Jane Burton (3)

White's 1845: William Burton, corn miller - also at Mill Road towermill

Hunt's 1850: William Burton, miller - also at Mill Road towermill

Census 1851: William Burton snr. (77), master miller employing 4 men. Wife Mary (75), William jnr. (41), Esther (28), Elizabeth (10) daughter of William jnr. Also living at the mill William Pyle and William Nobbs (millers servants)

1852: William Burton snr. died and is buried at Loddon beside 2nd wife Mary and 2 daughters Martha and Esther.
William left instructions that both the towermill and the watermill along with the land should be sold with £1,000 to be invested in government stock

December 1852: Mill advertised to be let along with windmill

White's 1854: John Chapman, corn miller & farmer

1858: William Chapman, miller

1860: William Chapman, miller

1861: Jonathan Feltham, miller - also Loddon towermill in Mill Road

Census 1861: Mary Burton, retired miller, living next door to the mill with Martha (42) and Esther (38)

White's 1864: Jonathan Feltham, corn miller (ex Lakenham Peafield towermill)

1871: Jonathan Feltham, farmer of 95 acres, also miller employing 5 labourers and 2 boys

1875: Jonathan Feltham, miller - also Loddon towermill in Mill Road

Harrod's 1878: William Chapman

7th July 1878: Jonathan Feltham died aged 58

Kelly's 1879: William Chapman & Son, millers & corn, seed & coal merchsants & farmers, Loddon mills

Census 1881: William Chapman (44) b. Loddon, miller & farmer of 55 acres, employing 7 men, Old Mill Loke - site of smock mill; Charlotte Chapman (50) wife b. Framlingham; Anna Martha Chapman (23); John Chapman (20) assistant chemist; Sarah Jane Chapman (18); Henry Arthur Chapman (16) clerk; Frederick Chapman (13); Edward Chapman (10) scholar; Charles Chapman (8) scholar; Ernest George Chapman (6) scholar

White's 1883:
William Chapman, miller (Wm. & Son), and surveyor
William Chapman jun. miller (Wm. & Son), and secy. to Cricket Club
William Chapman & Son, millers & corn, coal, seed, cake, malt, hops, etc. merchants, manure agents, farmers, vessel owners, wharfingers and water carriers, Loddon Mills.

O.S. map 1884: Corn Mill

1888: William Chapman, miller

Kelly's 1892:
Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co. Limited, agricultural seed merchnts, (seeds specially machine cleaned), wool staplers, maltsters & millers (steam, wind and water), cake merchants; agents for Anglo-Continental manures; & at Lowestoft - also at Mill Road postmill

Kelly's 1896:
Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co. Limited, agricultural seed merchants, (seeds specially machine cleaned), wool staplers, maltsters & millers (steam, wind and water), cake merchants; agents for Anglo-Continental manures; & at Lowestoft & Yarmouth - also at Mill Road Pye's postmill

1898: Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co. Ltd. in liquidation


Kelly's 1900:
Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co. Limited, agricultural seed merchants, (seeds specially machine cleaned, wool staplers, maltsters & roller flour mills (steam), cake merchants; agents for Anglo-Continental manures & Bibby's celebrated cakes & meals; & Lowestoft, Yarmouth & Homersfield

Kelly's 1904:
Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co. Limited, agricultural seed merchants, (seeds specially machine cleaned), wool staplers, maltsters & roller flour mills (steam), cake merchants; agents for Anglo-Continental manures & Bibby's celebrated cakes & meals; & Lowestoft, Yarmouth & Homersfield

Kelly's 1908:
Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co. Limited, agricultural seed merchants, (first-class large seed cleaning plant, especially for clover, suckling & trefoil) wool staplers, maltsters & roller flour mills (steam), oil cake & barley merchants; agents for Bibby's celebrated cakes & meals (T A "Sadd" T N 18); & Lowestoft; Yarmouth & Homersfield

8th December 1912: Alfred Woods (previously Court Dressmaker) died

Kelly's 1922: Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co. Ltd., barley, seed & wool merchants

seeds and grain cleaning plant; head office, 12 Thorpe road, Norwich (T N's 1490 Norwich & 18 Loddon; Telegrams, "Export, Norwich" & "Sadd, Loddon, Norfolk"); warehouses: Norwich (near Thorpe station), Loddon (Norfolk) Great Yarmouth & Homersfield; stations: Norwich (Thorpe) (GER) , Loddon & Ditchingham (GER)

Kelly's 1925: Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co. Ltd., barley & seed merchants
seeds and grain cleaning plant; head office, 12 Thorpe road, Norwich (T N's 1490 Norwich & 18 Loddon; Telegrams, "Export, Norwich" & "Sadd, Loddon, Norfolk"); warehouses: Norwich (near Thorpe station), Loddon (Norfolk) Great Yarmouth & Homersfield; stations: Norwich (Thorpe) (L.&N.E.R.), Loddon & Ditchingham (L.&N.E.R.)

1928: Mill converted to electricity and used to grind trefoil

Kelly's 1933: Woods, Sadd, Moore
& Co. Ltd., barley, seed & wool merchants
& egg packers under the National Mark Scheme; head office, 12 Thorpe road, Norwich. Telephone, Norwich 1490; Telegrams, "Export, Norwich"

Kelly's 1937: Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co. Ltd., barley, seed & wool merchants
& egg packers under the National Mark Scheme; head office, 12 Thorpe road, Norwich. Telegrams, "Export, Norwich;" Telephone, Norwich 1490

1947: Woods, Sadd & Moore ceased malting operations

1968: Mill ceased operation

1970: Mill externally repaired and repainted

14th April 1975: South Norfolk DC granted planning permission to convert the mill into a restaurant

1975: Norman Chalk and Neville Codling converted and then opened the mill as a restaurant

2003: Private dwelling and split into two separate residential units

October 2004: Mill advertised for sale by Potter & Co. at a guide price of £249,000 for one of the two sections

2007: Mill being run as a wellbeing centre offering a variety of alternative medical remedies

2010: Andrew Walter, Mill House and 2 engine rooms at back of mill - hosting live comedy & arts events

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 07836 675369 or

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