Burgh St Margaret Old Burgh Mill
towermill

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Drainage Mills (Windpumps)
Steam Mills
Watermills

c.1972
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.

George Durrant Starling who was listed in the 1851 census below originally built Hemsby_towermill where his son George Davey Starling.remained in charge.
George Durrant Starling and his wife Clementia (
née Davey), left Norfolk in 1858 and emigrated to Melbourne, Australia. In 1869 they were joined by their grandson, George Davey Starling junior, who helped them establish a farm at Plenty, near Melbourne.
George Davey Starling snr, remained at Hemsby_towermill and also owned Ormesby_St_Michael_postmill but went bankrupt in 1857.


BURGH ST. MARGARET OLD MILL
To be Sold by Auction
Piece of arable land opposite Old Burgh Mill on high road from Burgh to Oby, 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 1884
O.S. Map 1884
Old Burgh towermill to the northwest; Burgh St Margaret towermill lower centre
Courtesy of NLS map images

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

1858: George Durrant Starling emigrated to Australia

1868: John Burton, miller

1872: John Hunt, miller

1875: ? Starling, miller

Friday 19th November 1875: Mill destroyed by a gale

O.S. Map 1884: Windmill (Disused)

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 07836 675369 or

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Copyright © Jonathan Neville 2006