Photographs of Norton Mill courtesy of Mr David Askey. 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Photographs of Norton Mill courtesy of Mr David Askey.
I had a very unpleasant experience walking along Mill lane on a spring morning 2002… A beautiful morning around 5.oo am, I couldn’t sleep and since I lived nearby I thought I would go for a walk.
When I got to Mill lane I was completely relaxed there was no one about, suddenly I felt a terrible fear and oppression come over me it was so intense I had difficulty walking straight, it seemed to get dark even though the sun was coming up; all of a sudden I just seemed to walk out of this wall of oppression, I walked around the field where the Anglo Saxon cemetery was discovered then when I got back to the entrance on to Mill lane I hesitated , but I told myself it was all in my head you’re a grown man and all that, so I went back along the lane the way I had come when suddenly I hit this invisible wall of oppression again but this time it was so much worse than before I have never experienced anything like the despair and sense of hopeless it was so bad that I felt I would die if I didn’t get away. When I managed to leave the Lane I felt the oppression began to lift immediately although I felt shook up for hours. Don’t know what happened to me that morning but for months I didn’t even like to drive by there. I have since been there lots of times but never experienced that despair and oppression again; but something did happen that morning that I can not explain. I have puzzled over it for years.
Original photographs of Norton Mill and Wolviston Mill c1885 together with family trees and notes on the Watson, Moon, Peacock and Wilson milling families (some Quakers) have been deposited with Teesside Archives in September 2008. I hope you find them of interest.
Hi Lee I”d like to publish your story of the ghost family in a national magazine. Could you please get in touch with me through the Picture Stockton Team? Thanks.
Thanks for that Bob. Crazy as this sounds i once saw a family of ghosts in Oxbridge cemetery in the 1980″s ! Years later i came across an old Northern Echo article in a book in the library and it reported that people in the 70″s had seen the exact same thing ! Sounds silly but i swear i saw them.A man,a woman, a child and a dog…walking amongst the gravestones.They just disapeared in front of my eyes.It still sends shivers down my spine.
The Old Mill (Bishopsmill):- Ghosts and Legends of Norton are taken from articles in the books of Norton Heritage Group, Village Story 1-7 1980-2000, most are now out of print, but Stockton Borough Libraries have copies on their shelves, they include in their contents the “Blakiston Witch”, “The Gray Lady of Kiora”, “Rachel Chapman”, etc. If enough interest is shown its possible a seperate booklet could be printed.
I remember the last Mr Skelton who owned the Mill when it was bombed during the war. He lived in Junction Road opposite the Station Road entrance. Very white haired. He gave the building and land to the 1st Norton Scouts to build their HQ”s on. He used to visit the site during this work and I believe was there when the Scout HQ”s was officially opened probably about 1950.
Does anyone know where can I can get a copy of Ghosts and Legends of Norton?
The Old Mill (Bishopsmill ) In “Ghosts and Ledgends of Norton”, the Old Mill has Gossacks Ghost. In the late 1870″s, Mr Gossack”s son, a medical student was home for Christmas. As a practical joke the family hung a skeleton in a linen cupboard and when all the family were present they sent for a young serving girl to bring a table cloth. She opened the door and the skeleton fell out onto her, she passed out and no amount of aid appeared to revive her. Dr Blandford having attended her said she had a complete mental breakdown and for her own saftey he had her commited. When news reached the village Gossack was shunned by all and on New Years eve when returning to the Mill via Mill Lane and the “Hollow-Way” he was struck down. The folk in the Village were horrified to see the father of the stricken girl holding a bill-hook and freely admitting that he”d killed Gossack. He was charged and executed in Durham for a practical joke that took three lives. Is the “Ghost” Gossack on the Hollow-Way trying to return to his Mill? A Mr Skelton, a miller took advatage of this story by hanging loose chains around the mill which rattled on the presence of courting -couples and intruders.
Where abouts is the Holloway it leads to Billingham Beck area. I’m led to believe.