The Local Miller

Before the age of the steam locomotive and the great factories, the local water mill was the machine at the heart of the local economy that harnessed the power of flowing water to perform useful work. While most common were grist mills for grinding grain into flour, any manner of mechanical processes could be attached to the axle of the water wheel, as for example, sawing lumber, turning a lathe, or hammering. Despite its pastoral appearance, the power of a typical grist mill was sufficient to turn a millstone weighing a ton or more. Even the first machines of the Industrial Revolution were powered by water wheels. At a time when most work was performed by hand, the local mill was the machine at the center of any rural economy. In 1837, 57 grist mills and 9 sawmills were in operation on the Lanškroun estate. As shown on the map below (where triangles and rectangles represent grist mills and sawmills, respectively), most farmers didn’t have far to go to grind their grain.

It took some special knowhow to maintain the smooth operation of such a critical machine as the mill. To qualify as a licensed miller, it was necessary to pass a detailed technical exam and demonstrate the ability to build and repair a mill. The master miller also had to be familiar with all industries related to water: bridges, water treatment works, sewers, water delivery systems, and wells; he was essentially a hydrological engineer. Moreover, he needed a working knowledge of the laws governing water rights. Master millers were freemen rather than serfs and were hired by the mill owner as either a salaried employee or under a contract in which the miller shared a portion of both the costs and profits with the owner. A third option was that the miller leased the mill for a set amount of rent; under this arrangement, he could transfer the contractual rights to his children. This seemed to have been the case for the mills in Česká Třebová, where each mill was operated by the same family for multiple generations.

The miller was a well-respected member of the community. When farmers brought their grain to the mill, it might take some hours before their flour was ready, so most mills included a large room where customers could wait in comfort with refreshments provided. Thus, the mill served as a sort of public house, where the farming community gathered to discuss the news of the day. In fact, it was the miller who was one of the few town residents who subscribed to the newspaper. The miller’s customers commonly paid him in flour, the so-called miller’s portion. With such a surplus of flour on hand, the miller was often also a flour dealer and a baker. The master miller typically managed a small crew of journeymen millers and mill workers.

In 1837, it was reported that Česká Třebová possessed four grist mills and two sawmills, which was a greater number than any other town on the Lanškroun estate. The town’s preponderance of mills may be explained by the town’s hilly terrain and local hydrology. Česká Třebová is situated among hills along the Třebovka River, where spring-fed streams originating from the western highlands flow down to the river. Canals within the town increased the flow and directed the water to the mill wheel. The town’s four grist mills can be readily located on the town’s 1839 cadastral map from the house numbers of local millers listed in the parish records. (Parish records do not identify any sawyers suggesting that the sawmills were operated by itinerant sawyers or by another occupation, perhaps a carpenter or cabinetmaker.)

The oldest of the town’s grist mills, operated by the Darzilek family for many years, was located on a stream northwest of the town square. This site must have been favorable from a hydrological standpoint since a second mill was located just upstream from the Darzilek mill. Likewise, two other mills were located in close proximity to each other on a second stream at the western edge of town. One of these mills was operated by the son-in-law of miller Darzilek. Just downstream was the large mill complex operated by the Daubrava family. Their vital records identify how they managed their business over multiple generations. Typically, the senior Daubrava held the position of the master miller who operated the grist mill at No. 158. His eldest son, who was next in succession, was the miller of the adjacent fulling mill at No. 157. The fuller’s younger brothers were employed as a flour dealer and a baker. Thus, the Daubrava’s of Česká Třebová held a near monopoly on the products of the local grain harvest.

Fulling is a process of beating newly woven woolen cloth while wet to cleanse and thicken it; the opposing fibers interlock and form a more homogenous (and warmer) fabric. Originally, the cloth was soaked in stale urine (as a source of ammonium salts) and beaten with a club or the fuller’s hands or feet. From medieval times, a fulling mill was used, where the water wheel drove a wooden stock attached to a series of heavy wooden hammers to beat the cloth in a solution of fuller’s earth (a less odiferous source of hydrous aluminum silicate). Afterwards, the cloth was stretched on great frames known as tenters, to which it was attached by tenterhooks. From this fuller’s tool comes the expression “to be on tenterhooks,” to describe a state of tension.

Sources:

Blahnik, Ladislav “The History of Millcraft in Bohemia” Naše Rodina 9 (1) (1997) 10-14.

Sommer, Johann Gottfried Das Königreich Böhmen: statistisch – topographisch dargestellt: Chrudimer Kreis Prague: J.G. Calveschen Buchhandlung, 1837.

Map of the Lanskroun Estate created in 2022 by Logan Brown in collaboration with James Kleinschmidt. Locations of grist- and sawmills added by the author of this blog.