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SOME FEUDAL MILLS. 125
CHAPTER IV.
KING'S MILLS OF THE ROYAL BOROUGH OF
LIVERPOOL.^
1. The archaeology of corn milling in Liverpool ^ing's^ills
widely contrasts with that of any of the medieval Liverpool.
cities already considered. The royal soke of the i. Eastham
manor, small and insignificant enough when first dis- WatermiUs,
cerned in Plantagenet days, grew concurrently with
the development of the embryo town and port ; and
safely endured beyond that critical period which
extinguished the soke of Dublin Castle and Shrews-
in one
bury Abbey, though it was never comprised
powerful mill, as was the soke of Chester in Dee Mill.
The king's mills of Liverpool consisted of several
separate establishments, held directly under the Crown,
usually conjointly ; and sub-leased separately. So
long as the soke was retained by the Crown, these
mills successfully conserved their legal rights; but
when that binding link was broken— this being when
Charles L in 1629 alienated his ancient inheritance in
Liverpool and its mills— the new holders of the soke
* By the favour of the Corporation of Liverpool, and many obliging facilities
of officials in the Town Clerk's department, much information relating to the
milling history of the town has been derived from the Port Mote books, dating
from the year 1551, and the Okill collection of transcripts of early Duchy
deeds, &c., included in the archives of the city.
A brief outline sketch, The King's Mills of Ancient Liverpool, prepared from
the draft of the present chapter, and contributed by Mr. Bennett to the Historic
Society of Lancashire and Cheshire in 1896, varies in several material details from
the history now presented. This is due to many further investigations having
since been made to solve difficulties, then experienced, in linking together the
fragmentary records which are all that remain to Liverpool. A fair amount
of success has resulted ; mainly by the kindness of Mr. R. D. Radcliffe, M.A.,
F.S.A., and Mr. W. Farrer, in affording full investigation of transcripts of
the Moore and Crosse Charters, and of many local deeds found by the latter
gentleman in Additional MSS. at the British Museum.
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