Millomania - Adventures In Corn

millomania An eccentric archaeological investigation - Heron Corn Mill Ref: Introductory study (EA3)

By Harry Palmer (2009) Acknowledgements This publication has been made as part of Harry Palmer’s commission for ‘Watching TV By Candlelight’ arts and music festival at Heron Corn Mill, April 11th 2009. Many Thanks to Heron Corn Mill, Audrey Steeley and Dan Gibson, Bob Parkinson, Warren and Heron Corn Mill-Beetham Trust. Julia Gilbert. Regarding Mr Palmer’s guide tours of the mill: Performers Sandra Hall and Lee Griffiths (aka Friction Arts). Stewards Redhawk Logistica and Skylark. www.harrypalmer.co.uk

ODE TO HERON CORN MILL 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. No more essentially critical a revolution occurred when Rome abandoned slave and cattle labour for water power, than when, in recent years, water and wind gave place to steam and electricity, and stones were abandoned in favour of rollers. And, since in milling as in other matters, there is no finality, and improvements are still emanating from the engineer with whom the future welfare of the trade mainly rests, the prospect ahead is by no means one of apathy or rest: and the miller who shall keep level with the times will not only be constrained to maintain the most perfect machinery for the production of flour, but to rely largely upon commercial knowledge and skill for dealing in the vast markets of the world which influence the present conditions of trade.

Heron Corn Mill - ranking amongst the first fruits of man’s inventive ingenuity

FLOUR - THE HOLY GRAIL Flour, the manna of the gods (aided by craftsman - the keeper of the secrets), has been a significant diet, a potion in the development of humankind spanning millennia, evoking wars and riots, religious homage, engineering developments, economic and political revolution, preventing starvation, disease and malnutrition, and the dilemma concerning importation — the wider expansion of supply and demand. A clear example is that of Pharaoh perhaps, who proclaimed, “the maid that is behind the mill” and bakers from that same period who were imprisoned for grit in flour.

The Egyptian Ark of Tutankhamun where flour was found a very long time ago

“The maid is behind the mill”

Eleven year old Julie Singleton from Beetham enjoys a biscuit in 2009

THE GREY HERON (ARDEA CINEREA) Self evidently, herons once featured predominantly enough to warrant their inclusion in the naming of the mill. The grey heron is the only member of the heron family to be commonly found in Britain. Nature’s most accomplished fisherman, the grey heron is known for its motionless stance at the water’s edge. It is a large bird, with pale grey plumage and a distinctive shape and stands up to 900 mm high. It feeds mainly on fish but also takes other animals. The birds are usually solitary, except in the spring when they nest in large colonies in trees or on cliff edges (with other herons to form a colony or heronry). Nests are large stick platforms that are revisited every year. There are 3-5 eggs, of a pale blue-green colour in a clutch. Grey herons (Ardea cinerea) are prevalent throughout Europe, Africa and also in Asia. They typically breed in woodland areas that are close to the water and can be spotted around lakes, estuaries, ponds, canals, rivers and even coastal marshes. Herons are adaptable birds and will feed in any water be it fresh, salt, clear or muddy, so long as it will yield a catch (and can stand for several minutes with their necks tensed, waiting for an unsuspecting fish to swim into reach). Alternatively, they will stalk the shallows searching for food. Then, quick as a flash, they will dart down and spear the prey with a long dagger-like bill. Below: Heron investigation by Mr Palmer. One hour after installing the bird directly outside the mill and near to the river’s edge, a large heron was spotted flying overhead in the distance. Was this the return of the heron to the mill?

Mr Palmer places a model heron at the weir to lure others, albeit late in the mating season. Shortly afterwards a heron was spotted nearby.

ABOUT HERON CORN MILL Heron Corn Mill is on the banks of the River Bela, in South Cumbria close to the Lancashire border, and is one of the few working mills left in Cumbria. Evidence shows that a mill existed on the site prior to 1096. In 1220 the Lord of the Manor gave the monks of St. Marie’s York the right to grind their grain at his mill. The mill passed through many hands until in 1927 it came to W & J Pye, millers of Lancaster. In 1955, they closed the mill, and for the next two decades the mill was unused. In 1973, Henry Cooke Ltd leased the mill to the newly formed Beetham Trust to rescue it. In 1975 Princess Alexandra opened the refurbished mill, which shows to the public the mechanics of a water-driven corn mill. A grade ll listed eighteenth century working watermill, the mill is currently undergoing restoration work. Credit: http://www.visitcumbria.com/sl/papermus.htm

HEIRLOOMS TO DAUGHTERS — HANDMILLS AND QUERNS Well before Anglo Saxon times, handstones and querns* — the essential process of grinding flour (typically a female occupation, less so when mechanisation arrived much later), was clearly very important — a prized possession handed down from mother to daughter generation after generation, a cherished heirloom not to be parted with in times of raids and direst necessity. Small wonder was it then that their capture — in order to maintain the lord’s feudal tax on bread — aroused embittered feelings and prompted ceaseless rebellions among suffering tenantries. Perhaps never before nor since did old custom and personal sentiment so strongly rebel against the march of improvement that was destined to sweep both custom and sentiment entirely away. By the time of the Norman Conquest, nearly every household would have ground corn for its own use. This all changed with the imposition of the Norman feudal custom called ‘milling soke’ in which all grain grown on the lord’s estate had to be ground at the lord’s corn mill. Owning querns and hand mills was forbidden. As a result nearly every manor came to have its own water mill. *Quern-stones are a pair of stones for grinding a wide variety of grain. The lower, stationary, stone is called a quern, whilst the upper, mobile, stone is called a handstone. They are thought to have been invented by the ancient Greeks over 2500 years ago and brought to Britain by Celtic refugees from the Roman invasion of Gaul in the 1st century BC.

A quern from a Romano-British period

Note: Quern-stones are still used in many non-westernised, non-mechanised cultures, predominantly milling by hand, rarely operated by cattle for larger yields.

THE CLICK OF THE WHEEL AND THE WHIRL OF THE SAIL… Corn milling has undergone that vital revolution of processes which, within comparatively a very few years, has placed the manufacture in the front rank of the scientific industries of the Victorian era. For centuries, millers, accustomed to the click of the wheel and the whirl of the sail, and dreaming of no improvement in their antique machines or methods, seemed to regard the unrelieved monotony of the past as the due and proper condition of affairs at the mill; and appeared well satisfied with their few simple efforts to easily and comfortably keep abreast with the requirements of the times. It is not more than a score of years ago that engineering science broke in upon the seclusion and apathy of, we may say, this forsaken or neglected industry; rollers then rapidly supplanting stones, and milling attaining a position of scientific and economic efficiency as never before. HISTORY OF CORN MILLING Volume 1. By Richard Bennett and John Elton. From the early 1880s roller milling began to replace millstones and the fine white flour produced on an industrial scale begins to take over. Traditional rural mills could not compete, especially as new railway systems could bring the new product right into the heart of their markets. No doubt, Heron Corn Mill slowly began to change from being a local and regional supplier and demand faded. More competitive markets and technological developments in flour production, foodstuffs and packaging for example, enabled more households to purchase items directly into the family home. Until its demise in 1955 when Heron Corn Mill finally ceased production, its machinery largely remained the same. Nonetheless, it survived by diversifying its product manufacturing and storage facilities (as well as producing quicker-turnaround milling via its rolling machines). The core purpose of any mechanisation was to effectively produce larger, more diverse and better quality yields, enabling the solitary miller (possibly with an assistant) to undertake all manual tasks throughout the three storey building with its combination of pulleys, gears, levers and cogs assisted by the most direct routes via an intricate labyrinth of wooden stairs. The use of locally sourced timber provided the necessary infrastructure for ceiling and floor beams, roughly hewed and placed into position, joists and crossbeams, for example. These can be clearly seen in-situ today. Heron Corn Mill is known as a lowder mill in which the four pairs of milling stones sit upon a high rise solid wooden structure. Indeed, the high breast waterwheel, in which the water enters at the 10 o’clock position, is encased within the building itself. Even though the waterwheel is constructed of water-resistant timber, damage is prevented from partial use or cold frosty nights, as older designs from other mills were damaged from external and uncovered exposure. Surprisingly it takes a small amount of water for the wheel to operate effectively.

Lowder mill - milling stones mounted on solid timber structure, Heron Corn Mill More details concerning Heron Corn Mill: www.heroncorn.org

THE MILL MOTH Also known as the “Mediterranean flour moth”, it originates from India. It was first found in Europe in about 1877 in some American wheat. Nowadays there are few concerns dealing with flour and cereals which do not suffer from time to time from the depredations of this moth. It may also become a concern in households, though these days this is less likely. They have a wingspan of approximately 20-25mm with the larvae being whitish with black speckles. The Mill moth has been considered a major pest in flour mills but also found in bakeries and animal feed plants, they can cause significant problems in machines with their silk webbing.

Please note: No infestation of the Mediterranean flour moth has ever occurred at Heron Corn Mill.

SHIVERS AT HERON CORN MILL When a young cornmill’s apprentice John Tindal started work at the Heron Corn Mill in 1897, he certainly didn’t expect the supernatural to haunt his late Wednesday afternoon shifts! Every Wednesday evening at around 7pm, Mr Tindal felt a sharp and icy coldness brush up against him! On one particular evening, fellow worker Pete Brinkle walked into the mill when his dog Jess began barking and foaming from her mouth. So disturbed was Mr Brinkle that he never took his dog back to work with him again! It wasn’t until the Heron Corn Mill was decommissioned in the 1950s that the ghost was left alone. It is rumoured that the ghost resurfaced when the mill was restored in the late 1970s. It is said that you should never go into the mill on a Wednesday, especially after 9 o’clock at night or you may encounter an unwelcome visit!

Heron Corn Mill. Picture taken on a Wednesday evening

Troubled Jess who “saw” the ghost

MOBILE FLOUR POWER Contrary to popular belief, the ability to use machinery on-the-move to grind flour was designed, and possibly in operation, from as early as the mid 1500s. The diagram below depicts a machine of style and finesse, an elegant and sophisticated tool using screws and cast iron decoration, an obvious fashion statement afforded exclusively to the gentry. A far more common technological appliance was also developed by the French, who popularised the French milling or burr stone with its segments fitted together with cement and plaster — was widely imported into many parts of the UK’s corn mills. French stones milled crisply and left the bran in large flakes for easier dressing out (much of the skill of a miller was in the dressing and setting up of millstones).

Portable flour mill from 1588

The French quarries produced what was generally considered the finest stone for wheat milling and flour production. Made from separate segments, it was easily exported and reassembled at its final destination. Heron Corn Mill adopted the French burr stone, exchanging its earlier British quarried predecessor. As a lasting legacy several French milling stones are currently situated outside the mill’s forecourt.

The french burr stones outside Heron Corn Mill in 2009

CORN LAWS AND FOOD RIOTS

A Corn Law was first introduced in Britain in 1804, when the landowners, who dominated Parliament, sought to protect their profits by imposing a duty on imported corn. During the Napoleonic Wars it had not been possible to import corn from Europe. This led to an expansion of British wheat farming and to high bread prices. Farmers feared that when the war came to an end in 1815, the importation of foreign corn would lower prices. This fear was justified and the price of corn fell from 126s. 6d. a quarter in 1812 to 65s. 7d. three years later. British landowners applied pressure on members of the House of Commons to take action to protect the profits of the farmers. Parliament responded by passing a law permitting the import of foreign wheat free of duty only when the domestic price reached 80 shillings per quarter (8 bushels). During the passing of this legislation, the Houses of Parliament had to be defended by armed troops against a large angry crowd. This legislation was hated by the people living in Britain’s fast-growing towns who had to pay these higher bread prices. The industrial classes saw the Corn Laws as an example of how Parliament passed legislation that favoured large landowners. The manufacturers in particular were concerned that the Corn Laws would result in a demand for higher wages. There was a dreadful harvest in 1816. This caused bread prices to increase rapidly. This was followed by industrial unrest as workers demanded higher wages in order to pay for the increased food prices. As well as strikes, there were food riots all over Britain. Whilst it was claimed that the Corn Law would protect agriculture — the country’s main industry, bread was too dear, especially for the workers and the poor. Indeed amongst their concerns, the Anti-Corn Law League argued that cheap bread would help manufacturers, for example, by helping to keep wages down. The abolishment of the Corn Laws came into place in 1846.

MADONNA AND CHILD Wind and waterpower were the very cornerstone of food supply and survival for thousands of years. Significantly so, that many depictions are represented throughout history. In the case of the picture shown below, wind power has been incorporated into the heart of Western European religious iconography.

15th Century French Madonna and child shows the infant Jesus holding what looks like a toy helicopter that works by pulling a string. It may have been simply a toy windmill, but may have been a flying top — surprising for about 1460.

INTELLIGENCE AND ADAPTABILITY Monkeys have learnt that the easiest and fastest way to separate grains of wheat from dust and sand is to throw handfuls of the dirt into a stream or pond, and wait until the wheat grains float to the surface.

FOOD FOR MILLIONS (STOP PRESS) The fastest-growing known (sea) plant, the giant kelp, grows to a height of 300 ft, at a rate of 2 ft a day. One of the greatest challenges facing mankind is feeding the world’s ever-growing population. The sea is likely to provide much extra food. Oceans occupy two-thirds of the earth’s surface, yet so far their potential has been only exploited in a haphazard way. Many nations are now looking on the sea as a farm with almost limitless resources.

CHANGE

A QUICK MEAL A monkey teaches its young how to separate wheat grains from sand and grit by throwing handfuls of dirt into a nearby pond

CLEAN FOOD Washed by the stream...

Nineteenth century farmers relaxing with horses

Modern farming making effective use of the summer weather

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THOMAS ALLINSON The story begins with a Victorian doctor named Thomas Richard Allinson. Born in 1858 near Manchester, he qualified in medicine at the age of just 21. As a Victorian pioneer of healthy eating, Thomas Allinson was truly ahead of his time. He believed that wholemeal flour was vital to a balanced diet. Such ideas seemed radical in his lifetime, but are now commonly accepted. 1858 Thomas Richard Allinson born in Lancashire. 1879 Allinson graduates from medical school in Edinburgh. Dr Allinson adopts Naturopathy. 1885 Dr Allinson establishes a practice in London and advocates healthy eating. 1886 Dr Allinson writes a book ‘A System of Hygienic Medicine’. 1889 Dr Allinson writes a book ‘The Advantage of Wholemeal Bread’. 1892 Dr Allinson buys a stone-grinding mill in North London and establishes ‘The Natural Food Company’. He opens his first bakery, producing wholemeal bread. He is struck off the medical register for his ‘radical thinking’. 1914 The Government finally accepts his theories on nutrition and demand for wholemeal bread increases. The General Medical Council offer to reinstate him. He turns them down. 1918 Dr Allinson passes away, leaving a thriving bakery and a legacy of high-quality, nutritious bread-making.

Dr Allinson - flour pioneer

healthier kids eating bread

THE FILTON HUXLEY Early on Tuesday 7th April 1984 at approximately 8.00am, local dog walker, Filton Huxley, spotted a 17-inch water creature floating down stream along the River Bela near to the mill. He originally thought it was a coconut due to its strange shape and texture. It wasn’t until his dog barked that he realised it was moving! Upon further inspection it appeared that it was bobbing up and down and staying under the water’s surface for more than six or seven seconds at any one time. As an avid local birdwatcher and a keen amateur photographer, he quickly armed himself with his camera and attempted to take photos. Ecologists and forensic specialists promptly inspected the photographs and insisted they were unable to confirm the true identity of the creature. Some even proposed that the photographs were fake. Unperturbed, Mr Huxley spent the next summer walking along the local riverbank to see if he could spot this peculiar creature, but to no avail. Whilst he sincerely expressed his belief in the close encounter, he continued to spend the rest of the year reconstructing its head from memory and studying his poorly defined photographs. Story donated by Filton Huxley, 2009.

Forensic film specialist Phil Walker investigates the River Bela for evidence

The Filton Huxley made by Filton Huxley in his garage studio (summer 1984)

MOLE CASTS ANCIENT RELIC UPON BEETHAM Eighty years ago an amber bead was dug-up by a mole and discovered in the garden of St John’s chapel, formerly a graveyard serving the people from the extensive parish of Beetham embracing Farleton to the East and Arnside to the West. The amber bead was nearly as large as a shilling, on one side of which was a representation of the crucifixion of our Saviour, with the letters J.N.R.J meaning “Jesus Nazarenus Rex Judæorum,” which were used on the cross of the Redeemer by order of Pilate. On the right of the crucifix was a crescent, and on the left a rising sun. At the bottom was represented the Blessed Virgin Mary, in a subdued manner; and on the reverse a lamb, with the standard of St. Andrew’s cross. The oval shaped bead had a hole through it, and had probably been worn suspended round the neck of a pious Catholic. The author conducts an investigation, looking for ancient relics amongst a solitary mole hill in the grounds of Heron Corn Mill. Other things under investigation: Fairy Steps Beetham Fell Henry VIII The Flour mite Traffc pollution Sheep and soil

FEE FI FO FUM

i smell the blood of an English man! Claimed to famous war common to and ogres,

be perhaps the most cry in English literature British tales of giants in numerous versions:

Fee-fi-fo-fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman, Be he alive, or be he dead, I’ll have his bones to grind my bread. Grinding (aka milling) and the making of bread, used to emphasise the nature of fearsome giants in storytelling. It is believed that the origins of Jack and the Beanstalk using these words date back to 1621 if not much earlier.

FEUDAL GRIP LOOSENED As the climate worsened after 1250 and with the advent of the Black Death in the 14th century, the feudal grip began to loosen. Some corn mills were simply abandoned where growing conditions became too harsh for cereals or where the population became too small. Those corn mills that survived were rented out and their locations and the names of the generations of millers who worked them can be traced in historical documents. Sometimes new ones were built or replaced older structures. It is believed that, whilst Heron Corn Mill was built in the 1440s, milling was taking place well before this time.

The simple life of the workman leaving the ecologically friendly environment of Heron Corn Mill along the river Bela in Cumbria.

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