In her 1992 book A Most Noble Anchorage, A Story of Russell & the Bay of Islands, Marie King provides the following info about the windmill on Mill Island, though I have been unable to track down all her sources:
CLAIMS TO GRANTS OF LAND, IN THE BAY OF ISLANDS DISTRICT.I'm unclear if the island had actually been passed to J. (S.) Clendon, who was son of the older J. (R.) Clendon by 1858. In early 1860, Andrew Judd and James Hamlyn Greenway were offering for sale a pair of new millstones - it's unclear if the windmill project had failed by this point (so "new" meant lightly used!), or whether these were a spare or unnecessary pair: New Zealander, Volume XVI, Issue 1450, 10 March 1860, Page 1
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Case No 66 (d). - James Reddy Clendon, of the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, Esq., 4. Four acres, more or less, being a piece of land at the south end of Kororarika Beach, Bay of Islands, and a rock or island called Kairrara, bounded on the north-east side by William Johnson's land; on the north-west side by the sea, extending round a small bay adjoining Kororarika Beach, and as far along the coast in a straight line with the south side of the rock or island called Kairrara, standing in the sea, near to and fronting the west arm of the said bay; the boundary line then running eastward over the hill in a line with the south-west side of the said Island, and Mr. Williams's house on Paihia, adjoining the land of Captain Brind as far as the foot path leading to Matone Bay; and on the east by the said path.
Alleged to have been purchased on 28th December, 1833, from the native Chief Riwa, on behalf of himself and his Tribe, by Mr. Robert Cunningham, who sold to Mr. John Ritchie, who sold to Mr. James Harvey, who mortgaged to claimant.
Conditions - merchandise to the amount of £l2. 15s. sterling.
Nature of conveyance - Deed in favor of the original purchaser, Cunningham, dated 28th December, 1833.
To Millers and others.It's possible that the stones were the ones then shipped from Auckland to Russell later that same year: New Zealander, Volume XVI, Issue 1515, 24 October 1860, Page 2
FOR SALE, CHEAP - A pair of 4 feet French Burr Mill Stones, new, by the well known Makers W. J. & T. Child, Hull. For particulars apply to Messrs. Newman & Ewen, Auckland, or to Judd & Greenway, Russell.
Port of Auckland.The windmill was recorded as existing 18 months later, when Greenway was given as leaseholder on the island: New Zealander, Volume XVIII, Issue 1667, 9 April 1862, Page 8
CLEARED OUTWARDS
October 20 - Annie Laurie, 35 tons, Norris, for Russell, with 10 cwt flour, 20 packages furniture, 10 cwt sugar, 2 mill stones, l cask ale, 3 passengers. - S. J. Edmonds, agent.
LIST of all Persons claiming to have their names inserted in the Electoral Roll for the BAY OF ISLANDS DISTRICT.In 1869, the mill was shown in a sketch in the Illustrated London News as being without sails. Russell hosted regular boating regattas, and whereas the 1857 report described one of the races as going round "Clendon's island": Daily Southern Cross, Volume XIV, Issue 996, 13 January 1857, Page 3
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Greenway - James Hamlyn, Russell, leasehold, Kairora Island, situate in Russell harbour, with a windmill erected thereon, attested by Andrew Judd, householder
Dingy Race. To start from the flagstaff, thence round Clendon's island, thence round the flagboat off the Custom-house, and back to the flagship.the 1870 report called the same rock "Windmill Island": Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVI, Issue 3981, 26 May 1870, Page 4
Whalers' Boat Race. - 1st Race : For all bona fide whaleboats pulling five oars. Course - Start from flagship on the east side, round a boat anchored off Kororareka Point, from thence round the Windmill Island and back to flagship, leaving all buoys on port side.By the early 1870's the mill was being described as a ruin: Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIX, Issue 4858, 22 March 1873
ANOTHER LOCAL RELIC.The name of Mill Island stuck around for longer than the mill: New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 8810, 25 February 1892, Page 6
A rather curious object meets the eye on a solitary rock which stands near the town like a sentinel, some couple of hundred yards from the mainland, and to which access can be had when the tide is low. This is the ruin of an old windmill, which was erected by a settler on the top of this rock, standing some 80ft. or 90ft. high, and requiring a laborious conveyance of the wheat up a long and almost perpendicular ladder, and a precarious conveyance of the flour and pollard down the same. It was erected there to catch each passing breeze, which it did; for while a high breeze, so says tradition, blew down a portion of the sails and timber, the financial blows produced by the difficult mode of conveyance no less helped to stop the clatter of the millstones. The place is very properly called Somebody's Folly; and there stands a balance of the naked timbers in testimony thereof.
At ten o'clock the signal-gun was fired, calling on the first event of the day. This was The Maori War Canoe Race, for which there were only two entries, namely, Meta's Omapere (with 38 on board), and Kopati's Tawatawa (with a crew of 40) but it was expected it would prove an exciting race. The course was from the wharf round the S. S. Ringarooma, thence round Mill Island at the head of the Bay and back, past the flagship round a buoy moored in shore and back again to the flagship. Owing to delay on the part of the Tawatawa the race was not started until eleven o'clock, and they were sent away then on very level terms, but the Tawatawa soon took the lead, and was first to round the Ringarooma, passing which she had a lead the full length of the man-of-war. She continued to increase her lead to the island, and to the finish leaving the Omapere hopelessly astern, and winning eventually by a quarter of a mile. At the finish of the race the crews created great amusement, springing themselves into the water and plunging about like porpoises, after which they paddled ashore, and danced opposite to the hotels. The proprietors, of course, having to provide them with beer. The first prize for this race was £8, the second £4.Contemporary descriptions are scarce, but stories certainly grew up about the mill New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15140, 2 November 1912, Page 1 (Supplement)
THE GUNS OF KORORAREKA.Northern Advocate, 4 January 1940, Page 6
BY ARCHDEACON WALSH.
Among the numerous historic relics in the Bay of Islands, the cradle of the colonisation of New Zealand, is an old iron ship's gun, mounted on a rude gun-carriage, which stands above the Russell beach. This gun is the centre of interest to the wandering tourist, and in answer to his quenchless thirst for knowledge an endless number of legends are in circulation concerning the relic. By a careful collation of these legends I have arrived at the following account, which, though possibly not strictly authentic in some minor details, may be considered worthy of publication.
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The guns seem to have lain for some years without a claimant, when a strange use was found for one of them by a certain local resident, who with another man erected a windmill on the top of an outlying rock off the southern end of the beach, the site being chosen for the sake of security from rats. The local resident and his partner unfortunately were not practical engineers. The mill was made so top-heavy that it was found necessary to support it by one of these being made fast to one of the guns which was placed on the platform at the base of the rock. After a vain attempt to get the mill to work, it was found necessary to lengthen the sails. The mill then worked rather too well, and one day, when the weather was too unpropitious for the men to go out to the rock, a squall struck the building and swept the whole concern into the sea. The gun, which was still attached to the guy-rope, went to the bottom, where I believe it lies to the present day.
Speaking of the ancient cannon used in the Hone Heke episode, he stated that it was originally from a Spanish vessel which was condemned as being unseaworthy in the Bay of Islands over 100 years ago. For some time after the ship was abandoned the cannon was used as an anchor to a rickety windmill on one of the islands in the Bay. It was later sold to Mr Gough, of Waitangi Falls, and he used to fire it to celebrate the arrival of every new year.A further story tells of there actually being 2 windmills in Russell: New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18371, 11 April 1923, Page 2 (Supplement)
Other ventures in milling have left memories in the Bay of Islands. One was on Mill Island, near Kororareka, called also Observatory Island, from its use by French naval visitors for astronomical observations. Not a vestige of this mill remains, although the excavations for it are still visible. The winds proved unusually riotous at that site, and the venture was abandoned. There was another windmill at Kororareka that brought its owner no fortune. It was erected above a baker's shop, and one day it went mad, as its brake was not behaving properly, and toppled through a neighbour's roof.Noted Maori scholar James Cowan recalled: Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 46, 24 February 1927, Page 6
PICTURES IN A STORYLAND. (By J.C.)Similar reminiscences by Lonehander (the byline used by an old seafarer George Howe Cook) also made many years after the events described, were quite specific giving the mill the name of "Judd's Folly", though as he himself notes, second hand memories from so far back are not fully trustworthy: New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19936, 3 May 1928, Page 6
Every ridge, every crescent, beach, every rock, has its story. Down below is a curious islet which in itself is a story land in miniature. It is that little rocky island at the far end of Russell beach, locally called Mill Island. In the early days, when the isle was somewhat larger, a windmill for grinding flour from the Maori-grown wheat stood on its flat top, fifty or sixty feet above the water. On the charts the rock is called Observatory Island, a name given when the survey of this coast was made by the officers of H.M.S. Acheron, in 1849-50. The Maori name is Kairaro. One of the ship's guns used in the defence of Kororareka against the Maoris in 1845 was used as an anchor to guy down one of the stays that supported the windmill on its precarious perch.
A WHALER'S MEMORIES.Lonehander repeated the name, and added another story about the mill sails in a later column: New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21396, 20 October 1934, Page 1 (Supplement)
BY LONEHANDER.
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In writing of old times one has to go beyond personal experience occasionally to explain things, but I quote only from the actual performers, men I have been intimately acquainted with. ... in the 'sixties, which is as far back as memory can be trusted, ... A good straightout story of those old days would make interesting reading, but it is too late now — too many stories have been told of the same happenings.
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An Old Mooring. The gun that came out of the Suka Bey lies in about 8ft. or 10ft. of water on the eastern side of what they call the Mill Island - old-timers called it Judd's Folly. Anyway it was a queer place to put a flourmill. One had to climb a 50ft. ladder to get to it, having first to pull there in a boat. It was for a boat mooring that the gun was put there.
In the old days flourmills were common everywhere. Hickton's mill that stood in the middle of Russell Beach, I recollect well, because it was afterwards shifted and it made us a good kitchen, and more than one good colonist spent his first few nights ashore under its floor. Our cook was a Filipino, and between us we managed to keep our men hidden until their ship had sailed. I was not very old then, but I was old enough to scout round and hear what the skipper was going to do with the runaways when he caught them, and they not a dozen feet away from him.
EARLY RUSSELL[info] [info] [engraving] [engraving] [painting] [painting] [photo] [photo] [photo]
BY LONEHANDER
An undated photograph marked "Early Russell," and it reminds one of much of the old settlement. Probably that which will first catch the eye of those who can remember seventy or more years ago will be the little island off the southern end of the bay, where the mill that never worked can be seen, with the cottage-like office near the northern end. "Judd's Folly" the old-timers called this venture at harnessing the wind. I was told that, when first started going, one of the wings gave way and was never replaced, so perhaps it was this lack of enterprise that earned the derisive title.
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