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92 HISTORY OF CORN MILLING: vol IV.
DEE^MiLLS
CHESTER.
'
^^' Edmund Gamull speedily began the task of
protecting the trade of the mills, calmly commencing
15. Soke operations in the year of his marriage by entering
damaged by action against his old colleague, Alderman John
'j.^c,
^^'
Hankey, ex-mayor of Chester. This, his first campaign,
was not fortunate. Public allegations had
once more been made in Chester that the Dee millers
were practising extortion ; upon which John Hankey
Harl. MSS., — who " used to be lessee of Dee Mills himself" as a
20 I. 199.
marginal note on a brief informs us, though we find
Ibid., 2081. 93.
no record of the fact—had set up a horse-mill for the
welfare of the community, and ground for the citizens
at
"
the proper rate of iVth." The same patriotic
city father had already given evidence of public spirit
in
co-operating in 1567 with the mayor for the suppression
of'' the great strike" of the city bakers which
had for a time threatened to starve out the entire
city ; and now his personal and practical opposition
was entered against an alleged combination of compulsion
and extortion at Dee Mills. Gamull took action
Court at Chester :—
against him in the Exchequer
**
25 Elizabeth [1583]. Mr. Gamull exhibited a
bill in Sccio Cestr. against one Mr. Hankey, an
alderman of Chester, for erecting a
withdrawing
horse-milne and
his owne and others' grist from Dee
Milnes." In response to this, on 19 March,
25 Elizabeth, Hankey petitioned that " the defence of
this suite might bee made a cytty cause [at the expense
of the city], which the cytty denied, yet gave
libtie. to his counsell to peruse the records of the
has exhibited
his Bill of Complaint in the Assembly against Edmund
Gamull in 25 Elizabeth [1583], stating that he, being a
Ibid., 2083. 602. cytty." ''Whereas, &c., John Hankey
free citizen, built a horse-mill on ground of which he
had the fee-farme within the ; city but that Mr. Gamull
hath disturbed him of the use thereof, and will not