TOOTHILL WINDMILL 53
The next reference to the mill is found in the enclosure map
of the parish of Stanford Rivers, dated 1839. From this and the
accompanying documents it can be gathered that at this time
the mill was disused, but Kelly's Directory of Essex, 1845, shows
that it was then worked by Thomas Sadler, so it cannot have
been disused for long. From 1845 until 1863 the mill seems
to have changed hands several times, and in 1872 Kelly's Direc-
tory gives Daniel Surridge as the miller. He worked the mill
for over twenty years and is last mentioned in 1895. The last
miller to be mentioned in the county directory is Comyns Owers
in 1899. At this time the mill was probably still grinding corn
for bread since the Owers family was connected with the "Green
Man" where there was a bakery. Although there was no
mention of a miller in Kelly's Directory after 1899, local in-
habitants have stated that the mill was last used by a farmer
to grind cattle food. A photograph taken about 1910 shows
the sides of the mill to have been patched with new weather-
boarding. It is probable, therefore, that the mill was worked
during the first few years of the present century.
When it was no longer kept in repair the structure became
more weatherbeaten each year and soon lost the smart appear-
ance of a working mill. When the late Dr. Turner of Rochford
visited it in the early summer of 1919 he described the building
as "ruinous."
In the late afternoon of Friday, February 10th, 1928, the
mill was again damaged in a thunderstorm. The event attracted
little attention, although a "Stop Press" notice appeared in the
West Essex Gazette of the following day. The Epping Fire
Brigade was called and three engines turned out in the pouring
rain. All the top of the mill was alight, but the fire was soon
put out and the firemen were back in Epping about two hours
later. This second accident did much to weaken the structure
since large parts of the roof and side were now open to the
weather and a notice was erected to warn visitors that it was
unsafe to venture inside.
During the autumn of 1935 a millstone fell out of the mill
into the yard below, making a loud crash and raising a cloud of
dust. Shortly after this the building was inspected by the agent
of the owners; it was decided that it would have to be pulled
down and the work was begun soon afterwards. The brick
roundhouse was demolished first and then the body of the mill
was pulled over with a rope. The operation was finished on
December 10th, 1935. All the large timbers were sold to a dealer
and the remainder was given to the tenants of the nearby cottages
for use as firewood. Today there is little to show where the
mill stood, but the careful observer will be able to trace the