History of corn milling .. - Centrostudirpinia.it

SOME FEUDAL MILLS. 123
at St. Mary's. One of his sons had died young, and
j^ee^^Jlls
the other had been slain in the war and his ; property Chester. '
'* The several shares in the 31. Parliament-
passed to his daughters.
Chester mills subsequently experienced many succes- ary Ordinance,
sive alienations " ; but the soke by this time was
irremediably broken, and the mills no longer enjoyed
feudal rights nor exacted feudal servitudes.
32. The later history of the establishment may, in conclusion, be 32. In Modern
briefly noted. Early in the eighteenth century the place became Times,
the property of Edward Wrench, who obtained permission from the
corporation to add a new bolting mill at a rent of 126.. per year
(October 1747). This consent was followed three months later by
the order :— " That the lower window of Mr. Wrench's new bolting
mill on the bridge be stopped up, it being apprehended that the
reflection of candle light through the same at night will be dangerous
to travellers on horseback passing the same " a decision which
;
contrasts with the custom at Wakefield, where in the window of the
chapel of St. Mary on the bridge was constantly exhibited a light for
the guidance of travellers. On September 26, 1789, the mills were
burnt down. On April 23, 1790, Mr. Wrench obtained the consent
of the corporation to rebuild and " extend the mills upon the western
part of Dee Bridge on payment of five shillings, including the one
shilling per annum now paid for a previous like liberty." On August 3,
1807, they were advertised for sale in the Liverpool Advertiser, being
then stated to contain "twelve pair of stones, six of which are French."
On March 6, 18 19, they were again burnt down ; and on January 6,
1847, were a third time similarly destroyed. They subsequently
passed into the hands of Alderman William Johnson, who introduced
Toilers in place of the ancient stone system. On May 29, 1895, ^^^7
were for the fourth time wrecked by fire, the central portion of the
structure being burnt out; and in April 1895 the mills, together
with what water rights they possessed in virtue of the historic cause-
way, were purchased by the corporation.
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