Back to Trades index
	Back to Social Studies Department
	Back to FOMS home

Miller

Teacher note: A number of students contributed to these pages on Colonial times. Each contributed diffferent information or a different perspective. You may find that each article adds to your understanding and research base.

Go to Article 2.

Article 1

By: Sergio C

A miller worked in a mill. The miller was directed to charge specified tolls for his services, and more. The lord of the manor got his grain free because he owned the mill.

Under the 13th century Statue of Barkers, chartered land holders paid the miller one-twentieth of the grain he ground for them. Tenants at will had to give one-sixteenth. Bondsmen and laborers had to part with one-twelfth of what they brought to the mill. The same law required that the millers ''toll fat''(or dish) and ''sceppum''(or scoop) used to measure the grain had to be accurately.

A method popular among some millers was to build square housings for the millstones. For uncounted generations in every pre-mechanical civilization grain has been ground in a variety of one-woman-power devices. Some simple gristmills are:

1.Stone Mortar and Pestle.

2.Saddlestone and "metate".

3.Sappling-and-Stump (often used by early colonist).

4.Roman Quern.

Most of the time they only used this for small amounts of stuff. The miller usually lived in his mill. Most of time the miller had an apprentice. Milling basically made man's ordinary jobs easier. By using wind and water power, wood could be cut and things could be ground without anyone getting tired. Operation of a mill is not very hard because the mill did most of the work. Being a miller was not that hard because the mill did most of the work.

Top of page

Article # 2

Text By Matt T.

Picture by Melissa J. & Tanya S.

A Miller works in a mill. A miller operates and fixs a mill. A miller lives in his mill. Milling basically made man's ordinary jobs easier. By using wind and water power, wood could be cut and things could be grinded without anyone getting tired or a backache. The steps in milling trees are: get the logs that are to be cut, take the logs to the mill, take the bark off the logs, put the logs on the cutting board, line the logs up on the cutting board,and push the logs as the blade moves remove logs from the cutting board take the cut boards to the buyer.

Operation of a mill is not very hard because the mill does most of the work. In a saw mill, you have to put logs on a sawing table and remove them once they are cut. In a grist mill you have to load and unlload what is being grinded as it is ground. You also require knowledge of how to fix a mill. An apprentice assisted the miller.

This craft was needed to cut logs and make flour. Milling made man's ordinary jobs easier by using wind and water power to operate the mill. This job would be satisfiing because it is not very hard to do. Also, milling is a unique and rewarding proffession. .

Top of page

This site is created and maintained by Holly Geddes.
Last updated on March 11, 2003