History of corn milling .. - Centrostudirpinia.it

SOME FEUDAL MILLS. 205
bought at 70 lb. the bushel as now, but there was generally 2 lb. or IV.
3 lb. over to a sack ; while with the last load would usually be sent ICING'S MILLS,
POOL.
from the farm 2s. or 3s. for the miller,
hare in a sack for
and not unlikely a good fat
Successors.
'
th' mester.' " *
28. Appendix :
Their
Mount Pleasant Mills.
Immediate
On the broad slope of Mount Pleasant (or Martindale's Hill)
stood two windmills. One, situated at the rear of the " Bowlinggreen"
Inn, was approached from Brownlow Hill, and was thus
frequently styled Brownlow Hill Mill. It was built by John
Martindale, who, in 1737, was granted a lease of "his house at
"
Brownlow Hill and the mill and house adjoining
lease being altered in 1751, Martindale agreeing to pay 2s. 6d. per
annum for the mill site. In 1753 William Roscoe was granted a
lease of the inn and bowling-green " upon the north side of the road
leading to Martindale's mill " ; and here, on March 8 of the same
year, was born his son, Roscoe, historian of the Medici.
The other of the two was erected higher up the hill, near the
corner of Hope Street and the site of the Medical School. It was
built in T717, when Samuel Gilbody and his partners were admitted
by the corporation to a plot of land, acquired from John Dowse,
there to build a mill and make certain improvements, on payment
of a guinea fine and sixpence per annum rent. In 1731 Gilbody,
together with Ralph and Hannah Seacombe, petitioned the corporation
that " the said mill had lately been blown down, and they had
erected two other mills upon -other parts of the corporation estate,
* " My father was with the miller at Sefton, Mr. Rothwell, as teamster before
coming to Liverpool ; his duties there being chiefly delivering flour to dealers in
town, for whom Mr. Rothwell ground, I believe, at a rate of 6d. per old Liverpool
bushel of 70 lb. Oatmeal was also made at a charge in the same way, though 1
fancy the batching work done for farmers would be paid for in toll generally.
This would be about 1820 or 1S22. My father's energy and "go" were such that
he quickly changed the character of his employer's business, by making actual cash
sales of flour and oatmeal in Liverpool. So much so, that the little Sefton
mills had quite as much as they could do without hire work, though it would be
incumbent on the miller to do what the tenants required in that way. The
6d. rate paid very well, as no risk was involved and power cost nothing. The
grinder would probably get a guinea a week or more, and would likely board in
the house. (He would get los. extra if at a windmill, as he was liable to have to
get up at any hour of the night if a wind sprang up, and work on whilst it lasted,
without thinking of overtime : nothing was known of overtime in those days.)
Sefton Mills, being on the edge of a long stretch of a dead level, were frequently
waterlogged by the backing up at flood time, and on that account at busy times the
stream stood in much the same position to them as the wind to a windmill, and
the miller must work at the ebb, whether by night or day. I have heard my
father tell more than once of catching some half-dozen large baskets of grayling
in Sefton Mill-race— I wonder how many could be caught there now ? He found
the country slow for him, and consequently made an engagement with a much-
respected flour-dealer—but not baker—of that time, Mr. Peter Melling, say
about 1823 or 1824. Mr. Melling was contemporary with the late Mr. Golding,
the grandfather of the present Goldings ; as also of Mr. Blanchard, and the late
Mr. Henry Jump, father of the late Ralph and James Jump ; and some others
whose names have long passed away." — Mr. G. Lunt^ jun
; the lives in the