Call for Papers: The mill in British and northern European economy and society, 1500-1800
RHN 43/2024 | Call
https://www.ruralhistory.eu/newsletter/2024/rhn-2024-043
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Organisers: Centre of Economic Institutions and Business History (University of Reading)
24 May 2024, University of Reading, UK
Deadline for Submissions: 29 March 2024
Call for Papers:
The mill in British and northern European economy and society, 1500-1800
Workshop, Centre of Economic Institutions and Business History
Mills can be many different things. They might be corn mills, fulling mills, sharpening mills, saw mills, textile mills or mills to crush sugar cane to release its juice. What all of them have in common is the capacity to harness natural forms of energy – falling water, tides, the wind – and turn the energy into forms of rotary motion which could drive millstones, hammers or saws. Whilst mills driven by natural resources have been superseded by first steam and latterly oil powered or electric mills, there is now a new interest in exploiting natural resources through mills to generate energy.
The mill was – and remains – an indispensable part of food processing. The staple diet of northern Europe was grain. Grain is useless as a food until it has been milled into flour, just as malt needs to be ground into meal or rice have its husk removed, and so milling is an essential process that grains have to pass through before they can become a foodstuff. The mill was part of the daily or weekly round for many households: but we also assume that there was a long transition from households buying grain in the market and taking it to the mill to have it ground to the modern pattern of households buying flour from shops.
Following on a successful and enjoyable session at Rural History 2023 in Cluj (Romania) in September 2023, proposals are invited for a second workshop on Mills and milling at the University of Reading to be held on 24 May 2024. On this occasion the focus will be on milling in food processing although papers on other forms of mills and mills are welcome, ideally in the age before the introduction of steam. The geographical focus will be the British Isles and northern Europe, Papers on the transfer of European mill technology abroad would also be welcome.
Possible areas in which we would welcome papers include
- The number and capacity of mills
- Investment in mills, their running costs and their profitability, including investment in urban mills
- The reputation of millers and antagonisms between mill owners and people using their services
- The defence of mill rights including the suppression of household milling
- The development of flour as a commodity
- The seasonality of milling
- The place of mill ponds in the landscape, and their use as fisheries
The ore of the workshop will be papers by Prof. Mike Braddick and Dr Mabel Winter, Prof. Richard Hoyle (Reading) and Rachel Riddell (Mills Archive Trust) We have room for two other papers and invite proposals which are in tune with the area of interest above. Proposals should be sent to Professor Richard Hoyle at richard.hoyle@reading.ac.uk as soon as possible and certainly by Friday 29 March. Small sums may be available to assist speakers.
Expressions of interest in attending should also be sent to Professor Hoyle. A full programme will be circulated at the beginning of April.
Source: https://www.bahs.org.uk/