The first mention of water mills, mills powered other
than by human or animal muscle-power, is found in Ancient Greece during the 1st century BC.
Although it is thought that the Romans
introduced water mills into the British Isles during
their occupation it is the
Saxons who developed
water mills on a large sacale throughout England so that by the time of
the Domesday Book, ordered
by William the Conqueror and completed in 1086, 5,264
watermills were recorded in his domain.
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During the middle ages, many water mills were turned to fulling as part of
England's important wool industry.
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The windmill was an Arab invention of the 7th century AD and was introduced into the British
Isles by the returning
Crusaders of the
12th century.
The industrial revolution saw the advent of more efficient roller mills which made the use of
millstones uneconomic and caused the demise of many traditional mills which had worked for
centuries. The new milling machines looked somewhat like enclosed mangles and the row of four
shown in the picture here are at Throop Mill on the Bournemouth bank
of the river Stour in Dorset.
The grain was passed between the ground rollers which ran at different speeds and had finely
serated surfaces. The crushed and split grain could be put through the machine several times to
reduce the particle size of the finished flour.
Roller milling allowed local mills to compete with imported wheat which could be milled at the
ports. The rollers were also more resistant than the traditional millstones to the greater wear
caused by imported wheat which was harder than its British and European counterpart.
Another innovation of the industrial revolution was steam power. During the 20th century, many
watermills saw the istallation of diesel
and, later, electric power. In some cases these replaced water power, in others they were used
to keep the mill working when there was insufficient water available.
