ingleton windwill

[Geordie Mag]

My gggrandfather, Thomas Lee, was a miller in County Durham. Originally he was at Alwent Mill near Gainford, but by 1861 he was based at Ingleton windmill.  He stayed there until 1895, when business collapsed and everything was sold off. Does anyone know where I might find a picture of Ingleton Windmill? Thanks

[pamh55]

Hi Geordie Mag - my husbands Gt Gt Grandfather is also Thomas Lee, the miller at Ingleton via Frederick George and his daughter Annie Lee.  I am also researching the Lee family although I do not have a lot of information - I really just wanted to make the contact.  I hope to visit the local history centre shortly to find out more about the bankruptcy and any other information.

[Geordie Mag]

Hi. Good to hear from you. I was going to say I would send you a PM, but I think (someone will put me right on this) that you will need to have some more entries on Rootschat before we can use that. I can always post some of my more general stuff on the bankruptcy on this board, when I have a moment, to get you going.

[danuslave]

Hi both

pamh55 only needs a couple more posts to be able to send and receive PMs

Just put a couple of one or two word posts on here - anything will do   

Linda

[Geordie Mag]

Some of the more general stuff about Thomas Lee and Ingleton Mill as promised. Thomas Lee was in charge at Ingleton Mill by 1861, and clearly doing well. He described himself as "Master Miller", had several people working for him, as well as his sons, and was listed as qualified to vote in 1868-9. In 1885 it was announced in "The Northern Echo" that he had taken a lease on the Church Flour Mills at Richmond and was installing new machinery. Yet 10 years later, in 1895, everything had to be sold off. I assume that the collapse of business was part of the general collapse of local mills, faced with the import of corn from America to be processed at the port of entry in one of the large new steam mills. Does anyone know if my guess on this is correct? I know more and more corn was being imported and that large new mills were developed at the ports, but I am a bit vague on when this actually happened.
What intrigues me is the lease on the mills at Richmond. I wonder whether Thomas overreached himself and speeded up the collapse of his business. On the other hand, he may have already started to have problems and hoped that by expanding he might get enough new customers to keep the business going.

[pamh55]

Thanks Geordie Mag for that great information about Thomas Lee and thank you Linda (danuslave) for your support and encouragement.  I would be delighted to receive a PM (presume personal messge) but this is the first time I have used Roots Chat and am hesitant at the moment about how things work.  When you say I need a couple more postings to receive a PM  do you mean postings on other family queries, not necessarily the Lee Family?

I had found some of the information about the Lee Family, and they did seem quite prosperous - it did cross my mind that the business was supporting a lot of family members and maybe they stretched themselves too far.  I agree with you about the advancement of mechanisation in connection with milling and this also could have contributed to the business collapse - very sad - our Frederick George ended up a carrier for the colliery.

thanks again.

[Geordie Mag]

If you reply to this, you will be able to receive peronal messages, I think.
I have just been talking to my aunt about the fate of the Lee family, and her opinion also  was that there were too many sons trying to live off the family business. My great grandfather, Alf (Richard Alfred), went off to run the pub at Killerby after the mill failed, but enjoyed drinking with the customers too much, drank all the profits, went bankrupt but did a bunk off to the USA before the court hearing, leaving the family to cope. My grandfather had to leave school to support the family. Alf did come back and got a job on a farm. He was a most delightful old gentleman, according to my aunt. What a classy family.

[pamh55]

Well what can I say - they are certainly an interesting family!!!!.  I believe that the eldest son was also the miller at Summerhouse - I wonder if this was part of the Lee "empire" also.  I would like to find out what happened to Thomas's brother Matthew who seems to have disappeared from censuses.

I think we have a lot to discuss.

Regards
Pam

[Bluejohn]

Hi,
My Gr x4 grandfather had Ingleton Mill built and was still the owner in 1841 when he sold it.
We have visited the site and all that is there now are a couple of holiday apartment's and a couple of old houses. According to the current owner of the land the mill was knocked down in the 1960's.
The place remains as farmland.
If you have managed to obtain a photo then a copy would be most welcome if at all possible.
Regards
John