Norfolk Mills - John Buttifant millwright

John Buttifant
millwright

John Stolworthy Buttifant -1827 to 1850

John Stolworthy Buttifant was first mentioned as a millwright when he was married on the 4th June 1827.

The Stolworthy family were millwrights at Great Yarmouth. Charlotte Gregory was born c.1792 in
Great Yarmouth. John Stolworthy Buttifant was working for Henry Lock at this time, holding the position of Foreman. When Henry Lock retired in 1835, the business passed to him and he took John Francis and Thomas Blyth as partners.

Buttifant, Blyth & Francis,

Having taken the business of Mr. Henry_Lock, Millwright, intend to carry on the same in all its branches, at the Premises in St. Julian’s, King-street, Norwich. They respectfully solicit a Continuance of the Custom and Support of the Friends and Connections of their Predecessor, Mr. Lock, with whom J. S. Buttifant worked as Foreman for many years; and having, from long experience in the business, attained a perfect knowledge of all its branches, and the strongest recommendation from his late Employer for competancy as a workman, the Friends of the late Concern may rely with confidence that any Business entrusted to the New Firm will be executed to their entire satisfaction.
Norfolk Chronicle - 25th October 1835

Buttifant, Blyth & Francis were listed in White's Directory of 1836 as being in King Street. John Buttifant was listed as living in Hole in Wall Lane. The partnership was dissolved in 1840, Thomas Blyth leaving to set up on his own and John Francis' son joined in his place.

BUFF COAT LANE
NEAR THE
CATTLE MARKET, NORWICH,
BUTTIFANT, FRANCIS, & SON
MILLWRIGHTS
FEN-DRAINERS, ENGINEERS,
IRON AND BRASS
Founders & Machine Manufacturers

STOVE GRATES,
IRON PALISADING
OF EVERY DESCRIPTION:
MACHINE PATTERNS,
OF EVERY KIND:
PATENT PLOUGHS
AND PLOUGH IRONS,
Sets of Improved Irons for Mangles,
WELSH LUMPS & BRICKS
Of the Best Quality, for Furnace Work.

STEAM ENGINE
TO SELL

Buttifant, Francis and Son were listed in Blyth's Directory of 1842 as millwrights in Buff Coat Lane and Lower King Street. John Buttifant was also listed as an engineer living in Lower King Street. The partnership was dissolved in August 1843, each continuing in business on his own.

J. S. BUTTIFANT
Millwright and Engineer,
KING STREET, NORWICH.

To be SOLD by Private Contract,
A CAPITAL
Flour Machine,

John Stolworthy Buttifant was listed in White's Directory of 1845 as being in King Street.
One of J. S. Buttifant's employees was involved in an accident on the 18th July 1845.

Accident. – On Friday, a man named Henry Watson, in the employ of Mr. Buttifant, of King street, millwright, accidentally drove over a boy, whose hands were severely hurt. He was taken by P.C. Clarke, A.2. to Mr. Drake, who dressed the wound.
Norfolk Chronicle - 19th July 1845

Two apprentices were taken on, one in 1848 and the other in 1849

John Playford Ward bound apprentice for six years on the 6th day of March 1848, Wages as under.

Frederick Gregory Dann bound apprentice on the 18th day of July 1849.
Wages as under for 7 years.

To Millers and Agriculturists.
TO BE SOLD

John Stolworthy Buttifant was listed in Hunt & Co.'s. Directory of 1850 as a millwright and engineer in King Street. In March 1850, he was quoting for work at Hilborough watermill for Edward Leeds, who went there from Pockthorpe towermill in 1845.

Mr. Leeds, Hillborough.
Sir,
I beg leave to lay before you an Estimate to take out the old wood spur wheel at Hillbro' Mill and to Make a new cast iron one in halves, chipped, filled and put together with good strong bolts and fixed in the place of the old one. - hamm'd iron plates let into upright shaft and make the four pairs of folden wedges of dry oak to hang the wheel, to gear the wheel with good hornbeam or appletree cogs, to be dovetailed and pin'd into wheel, to fix the stones in the proper place so that the nuts gear properly. - To pitch, trim and turn one of the stone nuts and make it the same pitch as the wheel and other nuts.
The above work made and fixed in a workmanlike manner and delivered at the Brandon Station for the Sum of Thirty Pounds, Five Shillings and Ninepence.

£30. 5. 9.
March 1st, 1850.

Oxnead Mill had been to let in June 1849 and in 1850 it was decided to convert the mill from Duffield blanket manufacture back to a cornmill.

Sir E. Stracey, Bart. Oxneade.
I beg to lay before you an Estimate for Machinery for a new Water Mill at Oxneade, viz, New Water Wheel 18ft. 6in. high, 12ft.wide, 4 cast iron rings put together in halves with good strong bolts, cast iron brackets, round rings to carry the floats, well bolted to the rings, memel fir floats and back boards, new breast, two good oak staple posts 10x14in oak, mud cill 10x14, Cap cill 8x10in oak, live breast made of good 4in oak plank well bolted together. 2 cast iron racks, 2 pinions, iron guide rolls, carriages, bolts &c. ham'd, iron laying shaft, worm and worm wheel, carriages & bolts &c. to draw breast with. Cast iron steadfast breast, new backshut, 2 staple posts 8x12. Cap cill 8x12in. mudcill 8x10, oak gate 4in. thick with good oak struts 6x3in. 2 Cast iron racks, 2 pinions, rolls, carriages, laying shaft, worm & worm wheel, bolts &c. Cast iron Water Wheel Shaft, with 3 bearings, 3 cast iron carriages, 3 bell metal brasses, bolts &c. Cast iron pit wheel 12ft. 6in. high put together in halves with good strong bolts. English oak bridgen post with step brass, regulating screw, bolts &c. Cast iron Wallower, 3ft. 6in. diameter, pitched, trimmed & hung upon shaft, with 16 good screws. Cast iron spur wheel with iron teeth, turned, pitched, trimmed & hung with good ham'd iron keys, 6 cast iron stone nuts, geared with wood cogs, bored and hung upon cones, Turned all over, 6 cast iron bridgen posts with round brasses and raising screws. 6 sets of ham'd iron standards to raise the nuts out of work, with 6 sets of lighter screws, stilyard irons &c., one set of regulators with brasses, levers, &c. 4 pairs of French stones 4ft. 2in. diameter, 4 patent stone boxes with brass rings, screws, &c. 4 cast steel damsels, 4 steel springs, 4 cast iron rings, 4 maces, 4 sets of vats, 4 hoppers, 4 shoes, 4 bearers, brasses &c. 4 corn screens, 7 cast iron bridgen posts, 6 cast iron bridgetrees, 6 cast iron plates for stones to bridge upon. Two long iron plates at back of hurst to tie the iron frame together, chipped, filed and fitted together with strong bolts, two ham'd iron upright shafts as shown in the Drawing and four mitre wheels, 2 to drive the flourmill &c. & 2 to sack tackle. Cast iron carriages, plumblocks &c. bolts & brasses, one wheel pinion on cross shaft to drive flour machine with long cross shaft. Cast iron carriage bearings, bolts, &c. Two bevil wheels and nuts at the head of the machine to reverse the machine, new patent flour machine, fitted up complete, new patent flourmill and new sifter.
The above work made and fixed in a workmanlike manner will amount to the Sum of Nine Hundred and Fifty pounds, Ten Shillings.

£950.10.0

March 1850.

The mill was refitted and the legend C. Buttifant & Son Millwrights Norwich 1850 was set on a piece of cast iron in the mill and was still present in 2003.

Millwright's plate from 1850-1 rebuild

In May 1850 John Buttifant was also giving estimates for work at Lakenham Mill and Stoke Holy Cross Mill, both then owned by Jeremiah James Colman.

Messrs. J. and J. Colman, Stoke.
I beg to lay before you an Estimate to take out the old Water Wheel at Lakenham Mills and to make a new cast iron one fourteen feet six inches diameter and fourteen feet wide, viz, with eight half rings fitted and bolted together with good strong bolts, and cast iron buckets bolted to the wheel, two new staple posts of cast iron, mud cill fourteen by seven and cap cill eight by eight. New cast iron steadfast breast, oak draw breast four inches thick put together with good cleats and ham'd iron bolts through the breast. Two cast iron racks, two pinions, two rolls, ham'd iron laying shaft with iron carriages and bolts, cast iron worm & wheel, carriages, plumblocks, bolts and crank. to make a new cast iron pit wheel in halves, fitted and bolted together with good strong bolts, new cast iron wallower, pitched, trimmed, and hung with screws, to gear the crown wheel, to take down the spur wheel shaft of the first motion and refix it further down stream with a new bridgen post to do. The machinery driving the rolls to be taken down and Refixed, new cast iron Water Wheel shaft with bearings, brasses &c. Floats and back boards to be found by you.
The above work made and fixed in a workmanlike manner for the Sum of Three Hundred and Forty Seven Pounds, Ten Shillings.

Messrs. J. and J. Colman, Stoke.
I beg to hand you a price for a pair of new feed rolls the same size as the pair now at work at your Mill at Stoke. The rolls to be bored and turned. Two ham'd iron gudgeons four inches diameter turned to fit bearings & rolls and well keyed into Do. To make a new cast iron frame with all new bell metal brasses fitted to the same and bored to fit the gudgeons, two cast iron spur wheels to rolls, one spur wheel and pinion to drive the same with feed rolls will amount to Fifty Five Pounds.

£55.00.0.0

May 18th 1850

John Stolworthy Buttifant died on the 25th May 1850.

John Stolworthy Buttifant was buried in the Rosary Cemetery, Norwich.
Charlotte Buttifant died on the 4th June 1862, aged 71.

In 1853 John G. Buttifant was working for Smithdales.

1848	First Year	2/- per Week.)
1849	Second Year	3/- per Week.)	Not to be paid during
1850	Third Year	4/- per Week.)	absence from work on
1851	Fourth Year	5/- per Week.)	account of sickness or
1852	Fifth Year	7/- per Week.)	any other cause
1853	Sixth/Last Year	11/- per Week.)

1849	First Year	2/- per Week.)
1850	Second Year	3/- per Week.)	Not to be paid during
1851	Third Year	4/- per Week.)	absence from work on
1852	Fourth Year	5/- per Week.)	account of sickness or
1853	Fifth Year	7/- per Week.)	any other cause
1854	Sixth/Last Year	9/- per Week.)
1855	Seventh/Last Year	11/- per Week.)