History of corn milling .. - Centrostudirpinia.it

164 HISTORY OF CORN MILLING: vol. iv.
^IV.
at the said towne of Leverpoole, sometimes to the nomber of five
^IVERPOm ^' hundredth sixe hundredth or more : and oftentimes lie there a
'_ fourth night or three weeke or longer for lacke of conveniente
15. Townsend wynde to transporte them. And theis defts saie that great
Windmill. nombers of people cominge from manie ptes of the countries
Action against adioyninge to the saide Towne at the time of the yeare of the
Burgesses, herringe fisheinge at suche time as the same doth happen have
1587.
used for the moste pte to lie and make their abode in the said
towne of Leverpoole :
For the better entertainment of which nombres of people and for
better p'vysion to be made as well for the inhabitantes of the saide
towne of Leverpoole as of all strangers contynuallie resortinge
thereunto, there hath bene contynuallie maintained had and used
by all the time wherof the memorie of man is not to the contrary
(as theis defts verehe thinke) divers horse milnes wth" the said
towne of Leverpoole to grinde malt, which have bene erected and
sett up as occasion served for the better servinge of the saide towne
at their pleasurs.
And theis defts further say that her Mt'^ hathe not any water
milnes wth" the said towne of Leverpoole and the libties therof nor
any other milnes there but onelie twoe winde mylnes whiche are
reputed to be her mylnes ; and are not sufficiente to serve the
whole towne, to the knowledge of theis defts, by reason wherof the
Inhabitantes in time of calme wether and at others times have been
enforced and constreyned to grinde their harde corne at water
mylnes iiij. v, or vj. miles distant : And yet nevertheless theis defts
saie to their knowledge that divers and sundrie tymes when, as the
winde did serve bothe, as well theis defts as other the inhabitants of
the saide towne of Leverpoole have at their Libtie grounde their
saide corne at other milnes without beinge compelled to come to her
Mat'^^ said supposed winde milnes ; and some time have had their
saide corne grounde at the winde milne of one John Crosse esquier,*
and Mr. Norres his water milne,t birket milne J and other water
milnes there aboute at their wills and pleasures where they coulde
best be served :
And the saide John Bird one of the nowe defts for himself
saithe that he hathe and as ocasion s'veth occupieth and useth one
horse milne wth" the saide towne whiche was erected and sett uppe
Longe before he was tennente thereunto, being the inheritance of
Edwd Norres esquier, as lawfull for him is to doe, as he verelie
* Crosse's "Middle Mill."
App. to this t ^ private and apparently illicit mill on the upper reach of the ancient
Chapter. Dingle stream. "The watermill at Gallows Mill [London Road] was turned by
the stream from Moss Lake Fields" (Okell MSS.). In 1716 the corporation
agreed to "a lease to be granted to Mr. Gray of land in the lane leading to
Mr. Norris' Mill towards the Gibbet to build a mill [the subsequent Gallows Wind-
mill]." The watermill was then used as a seed mill, and so remained till 1750.
The pool is marked on the map of 1785, lying between the three Gallows
windmills.
+ Birkenhead watermill, known in the last century as Bidston Mill, on
Wallasey Pool, Cheshire.