History of corn milling .. - Centrostudirpinia.it

SOME FEUDAL MILLS. 93
suffer him to have the multure of the said mill, but i^^-
hath called him in suit in the Exchequer of Chester Chester/
(and there in suit doth remain), contending that none 15. Soke
ought to have any multure in this city but he, and damaged by
thereby endeavouring to restrain other citizens as well ^^d- Hankey,
as John Hankey ;
the latter praying it may
city cause : It was ordered that Mr. Hankey
be made a
and his
counsel, with Mr. Gamull, should be called before the
mayor, and some means devised for peacefully settling
the matter ; Hankey to have access to the Book of
the Inrollments of the Charters of the city
in the
meantime."
The negotiation fell through ; and it is to be
gathered elsewhere, from an isolated order endorsed
with the name " Hankey," that the usual discontinuance
order of the Court of Exchequer was
But Hankey
duly issued.
had clearly made out a strong case
of extortion against the soke-millers ; and they must
have sadly suffered in reputation when, to this order,
dated September i"], 1585, was appended by the
Court a rider revealing strong sympathy with the
defendant, who certainly would be ranked by the
citizens as a considerable public benefactor:—
And it is further ordered by this Court that the said plaintiff Had. MSS.,
[Gamull] nor any other occupier of the said Dee Mills shall not 2081. 199.
receive or take for the grinding of the said defendant's corn and
grain or any other inhabitants of the said city any other greater toll
than the ancient accustomed toll : Nor shall not extort or exact from
the said defendant or any other inhabitants of the said city which
shall grind their corn and grain at the said mills any other sum or
sums of money, grist, or reward for grinding the said corn over and
above the said ancient toll. Yet nevertheless, as the defendant hath
been at costs and charges in the erecting of the said horse-mill and
this Court that
the provisions [plant] of the same : It is ordered by
the matter concerning the same charges shall be remitted to the
order of Robert Brooke, gent., and he to consider of the same ;
either that the said mill shall remain during the defendant's life,
paying to the plaintiff and other fermors of Dee Mills a yearly rent
for the same ; or else the plaintiff to satisfy the defendant in money
by way of sale of the said new-erected mill ;
thought meet in equytye.
or otherwise as shall be