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Milling from the 1830s

- The Lee Family

LEE marriages recorded in Coddington:

1785 Samuel BECKET to Martha LEE and

1835 a William LEE to Ann SMALLEY

- we don't know if these are related to the family who are recorded as millers in the 1832 trade directory.

William LEE Snr. and William LEE Jnr.

1841 Census records a LEE family, all born in Notts - they are William LEE, Miller aged 40, Monica LEE, aged 45 and children William LEE jnr aged 15, John LEE aged 13, Caroline LEE aged 11 and Mary LEE aged 9.  Trade directories record William LEE as miller in 1832, 1844, 1848 and 1850.  In 1848 John LEE is also listed separately as a cottager.

During the period 1848-1850 cornfactor William HILTON was also listed in directories.

In 1856 Isaac HURT married Mary LEE and William LEE married Olive YOUNG; later, in 1868, a John Thomas LEE married Emma HARVEY at Coddington Church.

By 1861 a younger William LEE, born in Farndon, was heading a household: William was a miller aged 34, his wife, Olive aged 27, and young family Edward aged 3, John aged 2, Sarah aged 11 months.  They had a miller's apprentice, John FOSTER, aged 18 from Bleasby.

William and Olive's children were baptised at the Wesleyan Chapel - William in 1858, John in 1859, Sarah in 1860, Ann in 1862, another William in 1863, Francis in 1867 and Samuel in 1869. (Samuel was to die young - aged 20 in 1889 - and be buried in Coddington churchyard).  AWilliam LEE was a Trustee of Coddington Chapel School when it opened it 1858.

Improvements to the Mill

In 1862 William LEE installed a steam engine of 10-12 horsepower to his windmill.  In good conditions this yielded a total of 40hp.  William had acquired a little land, because he is recorded as miller and farmer in 1869, 1879 and 1881.  The size of his smallholding increased from 5 acres in 1871 to 30 acres by 1881.  In 1871 William and Olive's family was: Edward and John both aged 12, Sarah aged 10, Ann aged 9, William aged 7, Francis aged 4 and Samuel aged 2 were at home.  Also living and working at the Mill was Charles Carr 21, miller/servant from Bassingham, Lincs, and Ann Sibsey/Tibsey, servant aged 14.

{insert plan of windmill layout based on 1885 map}

William's wife Olive aged 47 was not at the Mill for the 1881 Census, but the children Edward Lee (aged 22, unmarried corn miller), Annie aged 19, Frank aged 14 and Samuel aged 12 were.

Visitor John (Turner) Forrington, farmer aged 28 born in Morton, Lincs was later to marry Annie LEE in September 1882.  Also at Coddington Church, Sarah YOUNG Lee married William Thompson MILLNS in 1881.  Also present on the 1881 Census were John MARSHALL, 28, corn miller's assistant from Walesby, Notts and Elizabeth REYNOLDS, 16 an unmarried domestic servant from Seacombe, Cheshire.

In 1879 and 1881 Reuben LEE was listed as a farmer at Beaconfield Farm.  It's not known if he is related to the milling family.

William LEE died 9^th Dec 1884, aged 58 and was buried in Coddington churchyard - in the 1885 directory his wife Olive is recorded as the miller and farmer.  Olive was eventually to join her husband in the graveyard - she died aged 78 on 25th Jan 1912.

John LEE married Susan SMITH at Coddington in 1889.  Francis LEE died shortly after his mother in 1913, aged only 46.

Edward LEE

Edward LEE married Hannah Elizabeth DAYBELL in 1890.  He had taken over the mill and farm.  On the 1891 census his assistant was Charles CARR. - Trade directories list Edward as miller in 1892, 1894, 1897 and 1900.  By 1901 Edward, aged 42 and Hannah Elizabeth, aged 39 had a growing family, most of whom they baptised at the Wesleyan Chapel between 1893 and 1897: Mary aged 8, Eleanor aged 7, Caroline Monica aged 6, Dorothy aged 5, William aged 4, Mabel aged 2 and baby Samuel aged 1 month.  On the 1901 census Thomas CLARICOATS was listed as Edward's assistent. In 1912, 1916, 1923, 1928, and 1932 he continued to be listed as miller by wind and steam.

Edward was listed as a miller by wind and steam in 1912, 1916, 1923, 1928 and 1932. Edward died 4^th Feb 1933, aged 74 and was buried at Coddington.  In 1935 the Duke of  Newcastle?s papers record a compensation agreement for Long Greenfield Close with the cottage and buildings erected on it, a close of land in Stone Pit Close and Mill Close formerly copyhold property owned by Edward LEE in Coddington, Notts.

Samuel LEE and the end of an era

Samuel LEE was listed as a miller by wind & oil in 1936-8, 1941-2.  In 1936 the sails were still intact.  In 1940 a flaw in the mill's woodwork caused the loss of one sail, which Samuel intended to replace.  However the mill was changed to be powered solely by oil in 1941. In 1944 the mill ceased working.  Older residents in the village have said that the last customer to have had flour ground there in 1944 was Samuel PARKES, who delivered his grain in a barrow.

That said, the Nottingham Evening Post of Monday 28 November 1949 carried a report from Mr P BAKER of Carlton (a student Nottm & District Tech College at the time) who was collating information of the County’s remaining windmills and commented “…….. Although the mill at Coddington has lost its sails and is in poor condition, it is still worked - by a gas engine.  Mr BAKER considers that this could lend itself to restoration far better than any of the others he has seen, but the cost would be several hundred pounds.  It was damaged by a landmine during the war.  Some idea of the expense is shown by the fact that a whole pine tree is required for a sail stock, and this would cost in the region of £80…………”

Samuel LEE was still listed at Coddington mill in 1950, 1957 and 1961 - at least 130 years after his ancestor, William, was recorded there. During the period 1957-61 his son, William was living at Stone Cottage on Balderton Lane (since demolished), whilst Thomas J T LEE was living on Balderton Lane.

The building and land was sold to Peter HUTCHINSON in 1947 - presumably with Samuel LEE as a tenant. Although the sails were falling off in 1958 the building was listed in 1969.

Follow these links for more information:

Coddington Windmill Introduction

Milling around Newark before 1600

The Lee family at Coddington mill 1830 onwards

A technical description of the windmill

From windmill to house