Harrold Mills/Millers

[Lexi73]

..... but his occupation at the baptism of daughter Martha in 1818 was just plain labourer

Yes, so he must have come down in the world... Maybe he was made redundant, by the time Martha was born he was close to fifty anyway. And he died a month after her baptism...

[bedfordshire boy]

to help rebuild the mill that burnt down in 1805 and seems to be back in business in 1824 (I read up on Harrold on that website link I found in a previous post).

The tenant of the rebuilt mill in 1824 was undoubtedly connected to, or was one and the same, Samuel Bonfield who was the miller in 1803 who I mentioned in reply#3 above. And as in the same post, a labourer could encompass a miller's labourer as well as an agricultural one.

[johnP-bedford]

Samuel Bonfield was buried Harrold on 28 July 1829 aged 72 so born 1757 - so tallies with the 47 year old from the 1803 muster list. He left a will, available at Beds Archives; probate index ref ABP/W 1830/4 where his occupation is Miller.

John Bonfield whose burial on 5 Aug 1786 says he's a miller also left a will ref ABP/W 1787/41 but in probate index he is listed as a farmer.

The 20 year old John Bonfield in 1803 (so born 1783) possibly is the JB who was buried Harrold on 26 Sept 1869 aged 88 & is on 1851 census aged 72 living in Harrold, a farmer - but cannot find in 1841 or 1861