St James Mill

Who

Samuel Bignold (1791 - 1875)

Mayor at the time of the crisis in the textile trade, Bignold became determined to find a solution to the growing levels of unemployment Norwich textile workers faced.

Bignold called an urgent meeting. Both those in receipt of and those paying towards Poor Rates were suffering from the effects of the trade's collapse.

He established a joint stock company called the Norwich Yarn Company, whose central job was to spin yarn for the local trade. It was also decided that St James Mill should be built.

Although he did not ultimately prevent the collapse of the trade, Bignold showed himself to be a determined and intuitive Mayor by introducing such measures.

John Jarrold II (1773 - 1852)

An ancestor of the Jarrold family, John purchased one £100 share in the St James Mill project, paying instalments of £10 at a time. Shares for the mill were £100 each, and it was estimated that the cost of completing and stocking the mill would be around £70,000.