History of corn milling .. - Centrostudirpinia.it

180 HISTORY OF CORN MILLING: vol. iv.
IV.
KING'S MILLS,
LIVERPOOL.
22. Townsend
Windmill.
Sale, 1724.
Moore Deeds,
390.
Port Mote,
iv. 260.
App. to this
Chapter.
Port Mote, iv. 12,
farme of the town ;
* Moore's superior lords now being
the commonalty that had ever been active in hostility
to his mills, and that, as he finally must surely have
foreseen, would ere long render all his advice for
their preservation needless. In 1678, at the age of
but forty-four years, the last and most notable of the
king's millers of Liverpool, following his ancestors
and his ancient predecessor in the craft, William the
son of Adam, was buried within the fane of St.
Nicholas' by " the Sea Bancke called the White
Acres " ; leaving his younger son. Sir Cleave Moore,
heir to the mortgaged estates and mills.
For some few years longer Sir Cleave continued
the struggle, but, except a trifling item in 1672
regarding the working of the mill on Sunday, t we
hear nothing of Townsend. In 1689 the distressed
owner witnessed the first overt act of the corporation
for the abolition of the ancient soke in the town :—
"
Upon the second petition of William Hands he is
granted a lease of three lives for Thompson's
croft r
his former fine of ^z|. remitted, and twelve pence yearly
rent to continue, provided he lays out ^100 upon the
premises upon a Windmill, and continues it in good
repair, and so leaves it at the expiration
of his lease."
This was rapidly followed by similar grants, and in
a few years the ridge of high land extending southward
from Townsend Mill and Eastham became dotted
with windmills possessing no soke, and catering in
open competition for the grinding of all and sundry
who might resort to them. With the further development
of the town, other new mills in all directions
covered the slope of the heathside ; till, by 1768,
* The reversion of this lease the corporation purchased in 1777, and became
absolute owners of the old royal estate.
t 1672. June 3. We present Henry Bannister for grinding corn on the
Sabbath day at Middle Mill ; Richard Mercer for the like offence ; Edmund
Buckley for the like offence at Townes End Mill ; Robert Woolfall for the like
ojffence : each being fined 3s. 4d.