A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



When John, count of Mortain, granted his burgesses of Lancaster their 

 charter in 1193, one of the principal liberties conceded, doubtless in answer 

 to continuous petitioning, was release from the burden of having to grind at 

 his mill." But such concessions were few and far between, and the evidence 

 is usually to the contrary. Thus at Warrington in 1305 William le Boteler 

 granted all his leases apparently with the express stipulation that the tenant 

 was to grind all his grain and malt at William le Boteler's mills of Warrington 

 and Sankey.^- Similarly the baron of Manchester's leases to free tenants con- 

 tain the same specification, each finishing with the words, ' And he ought to 

 grind at the mill of Manchester.' ^ 



While no other mill might be erected on the lord's land save by the 

 lord's special licence, he reserved to himself the right of erecting a mill even 

 on land already let, and the right of multure. Thus in the close of the 

 twelfth century the abbot and monks of Wyresdale reserved their right to 

 erect a mill on land conceded to their chaplain, without his being able to 

 claim any right of multure." 



The obligation to grind at the lord's mill (styled ' soke ' or ' soken ') 

 was most strictly enforced on all tenants whether bond or free, in respect of 

 all corn grown upon the lord's land." Certain tenants had a preference of 

 attention, and were entitled to have their grain ground at more moderate tolls 

 than others.'" With that grim enforcement of dominion characteristic of 

 the mediaeval interpretation of lordship, an interpretation alien to the modern 

 sentiment that noblesse oblige, the lord was served before all others ; and if any 

 man's corn was in the hopper when the lord's corn came to the mill, it was 

 removed till the lord's had first been ground. In the words of the mediaeval 

 copyist, when the lord came to the mill he 'put all men out of their grist.' 

 For this and many other reasons the enforced necessity of grinding at the 

 lord's mill continued, as will be seen, to be one of the bitterest subjects of 

 dispute between tenant and landlord from the Middle Ages almost to our 

 own times. 



Where the lord did not work the mill directly by his own servants he 

 let it to farm to a miller who paid him a fixed rent and took the margin of 

 profit. That the profits were great is obvious from the money these mills 

 brought in. In the De Lacy Inquisition of 1 3 1 1 many entries of mill 

 rents or mill incomes are detailed." At Clitheroe the water-mill was yearly 

 worth ^b I y. 4^. At Standen,** though Henry de Blackburn was a free 

 tenant and occupied a ' mansion,' he was not allowed to erect a mill, but 

 would have to do suit either to CHtheroe or to Worston mill,*' which was 

 worth 13J. 4^. per annum. Downham mill'" brought in 26s. %d., a sum 

 nearly as great as the 30J. rent of the 10 oxgangs in bondage there. At 

 Colne " and Walverden there were two water-mills, and these, with a fulling- 

 mill included, were worth £^ 6s. %d. At Burnley '* the fulling-mill was 



" 12 June, 1 193, 4 Ric. I. Quoted (from the original in the possession of the mayor and corporation 

 of Lancaster), Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 416. 



^ Lilford D. ; Bold D. Quoted in Annali of the Lords of Warrington (Chet. Soc), i, 144. 



*■ Mamecestre, ii, 308, 310. 



*^ Duchy of Lane. Anct. D. L. 3623 (i 194-9), in Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 338. 



^^Cf. Fitzherbert {temp. Henry VIII), ' Boke of Surveying,' printed, London, 1523, quoted Mame- 

 ccstre I, III , ,^^ ^ ^ . "" Cf. Manor of ,4shton under Lyne{C)iit. Soc. \xyc:xv) 



^^ Z)i? Ljry /»^. (Chet. Soc. Ixxiv), 5-13. ™ Ibid 7 



^ Ibid. 7. « Ibid. " Ibid. 8. " Ibid. 9. 



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