Water, tide and windmills in the life of yesteryear…

Whether water, wind or tide-powered, until the development of industrial flour mills, first steam-powered and then electric, mills were essential to life for the production of flour. While water-powered mills have been around since ancient times, windmills were developed in the West from the 12th century onwards. Located on the land of a lord, the mills were his property, and he was obliged to maintain them and make them available to the inhabitants. In return, the peasants, who were obliged to use them, paid a milling fee. The miller, for his part, paid a lease to the seigneur. This was the “banalité” status that the mill shared with other facilities (oven, wine press, etc.). The Revolution put an end to the status of banality. When mills were put up for sale, the millers who bought them paid a “patente” and were generally paid with part of the grindings. Water mills and windmills complemented each other. In summer, when the flow of water was insufficient, windmills took over. Mapping at the beginning of the 19th century in France revealed around 16,000 windmills and 80,000 watermills.