Description
Excerpt from History of Corn Milling, Vol. 1: Handstones, Slave Cattle Mills With Numerous Illustrations
A few words may be appropriate regarding the in?uences which have prompted, and the principles which have guided, the production of this work.
We had long been impressed by the scantiness of the bibliography of corn milling; and had felt it strange that in this literary age - while, on the one hand, there should be extant various valuable milling works of a technical character, and an excellent milling press - yet that, on the other hand, there should be available no published history, however crude, of the origin and progress of this ancient and important industry.
This strange circumstance is due to no lack of interest. Corn milling possesses a distinctive historical interest over every other manufacturing art known. Without doubt it is the oldest continuously conducted industry of the world. The earliest efforts of primeval man, in the peaceful arts, were directed to pounding, from such grain, nuts and berries as he possessed, a rude kind of meal; while, centuries later, if the irrigation water driven wheel were one of the first power machines devised by human ingenuity, the water corn mill was its immediate successor. Whether by hand or by power, therefore, corn milling may claim to rank among the first fruits of man''s inventive ingenuity.vfil preface.
Nor yet is the lack of published history due to any dearth of records. In mediaeval ages circumstances arose which centred upon corn milling, for many a century, an interest that, among all industries, is unique. The ownership and working of corn mills at the birth of feudalism were constituted prerogatives of the rulers of the people. None but they or their nominees could presume to set up corn mills; and the law of milling soke - the common law of the land by immemorial custom, and older than any English statute - bound the people to support mills thus set up by their lords. From the reign of the Conqueronto the opening of the Victorian era, these owners of exclusive rights, from kings to abbots and squires, have continuously drawn large revenues from corn mills; have tenaciously held to their privileged monopoly of ownership; and, when occasion has arisen, have upheld it by might as well as by legalised right. Records of the craft are thus to be found scattered through charters of kings and barons, customs rolls of mediaeval manors, chartularies of monastic houses, muniments of ancient cities, national archives of sovereigns and Parliaments, pleadings and awards in the law courts; and, even, minutes of municipal authorities, who in recent times have raised rates to purchase and extinguish legal milling obligations created by ancient feudalities. Whatever may be urged for or against the exercise of such a privilege (and a good deal is possible either way), the milling archaeologist has reason to be grateful for the records of the craft which it has bequeathed and which at the present day enable us to trace the vicissitudes of milling more perfectly than those of any other of the industries of the world which have neither been repressed by legislation nor hampered by monopoly.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
A few words may be appropriate regarding the in?uences which have prompted, and the principles which have guided, the production of this work.
We had long been impressed by the scantiness of the bibliography of corn milling; and had felt it strange that in this literary age - while, on the one hand, there should be extant various valuable milling works of a technical character, and an excellent milling press - yet that, on the other hand, there should be available no published history, however crude, of the origin and progress of this ancient and important industry.
This strange circumstance is due to no lack of interest. Corn milling possesses a distinctive historical interest over every other manufacturing art known. Without doubt it is the oldest continuously conducted industry of the world. The earliest efforts of primeval man, in the peaceful arts, were directed to pounding, from such grain, nuts and berries as he possessed, a rude kind of meal; while, centuries later, if the irrigation water driven wheel were one of the first power machines devised by human ingenuity, the water corn mill was its immediate successor. Whether by hand or by power, therefore, corn milling may claim to rank among the first fruits of man''s inventive ingenuity.vfil preface.
Nor yet is the lack of published history due to any dearth of records. In mediaeval ages circumstances arose which centred upon corn milling, for many a century, an interest that, among all industries, is unique. The ownership and working of corn mills at the birth of feudalism were constituted prerogatives of the rulers of the people. None but they or their nominees could presume to set up corn mills; and the law of milling soke - the common law of the land by immemorial custom, and older than any English statute - bound the people to support mills thus set up by their lords. From the reign of the Conqueronto the opening of the Victorian era, these owners of exclusive rights, from kings to abbots and squires, have continuously drawn large revenues from corn mills; have tenaciously held to their privileged monopoly of ownership; and, when occasion has arisen, have upheld it by might as well as by legalised right. Records of the craft are thus to be found scattered through charters of kings and barons, customs rolls of mediaeval manors, chartularies of monastic houses, muniments of ancient cities, national archives of sovereigns and Parliaments, pleadings and awards in the law courts; and, even, minutes of municipal authorities, who in recent times have raised rates to purchase and extinguish legal milling obligations created by ancient feudalities. Whatever may be urged for or against the exercise of such a privilege (and a good deal is possible either way), the milling archaeologist has reason to be grateful for the records of the craft which it has bequeathed and which at the present day enable us to trace the vicissitudes of milling more perfectly than those of any other of the industries of the world which have neither been repressed by legislation nor hampered by monopoly.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Details
Publisher - Forgotten Books
Author(s) - Richard Bennett
Hardback
Published Date -
ISBN - 9780267988358
Dimensions - 22.9 x 15.2 x 1.7 cm
Page Count - 266
Paperback
Published Date -
ISBN - 9781330712344
Dimensions -
Page Count -
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