what are some things about flour millers in medieval times?

Question

e.g how much were they being paid

Answer 1

Millers were the most important to a medieval culture, since people needed someone to ground their grain. They were paid between 1/12 to 1/16 of the grain they ground, so they were paid in grain not money. They also had to pay rent to a feudal lord. They paid in the grain they had gotten throughout the year.

Answer 2

For centuries millers wore white clothing. The millers did not have a means of cleaning grains until the end of the 1700's. If the miller had a clean appearance, perhaps his product was the same way, i.e. free from dirt and contamination. During the 1100's, bakers adopted the custom of the millers and wore only white clothing for the same reasons of appearance.

A miller could not wear loose fitting clothing since it could get caught in the machinery. The miller would either keep his shirt sleeves buttoned or tightly rolled up and never hanging loosely. His waist coat would be buttoned and closed. The miller also kept the top buttons of his shirt closed. Pieces of grain that get into clothing are uncomfortable and itchy during warm weather. To keep even smaller particles out, the miller wore a neckerchief tied around his shirt collar. The miller also wore a white, flat topped, brimless cap to keep the dust, flour and grain particles out of his hair. Brims presented problems because they caught cobwebs, grease, flour and grain particles, and could be easily knocked about in the close quarters of beams and machinery. In medieval drawings millers were shown wearing a knitted cap with a floppy top hanging to one side. Millers tended to wear beards because mills were cold places to work, and the beard protected their faces against stone chips as they were dressing (sharpening) the millstones.

The miller often wore an apron. Sometimes a half apron tied around the waist, but generally a full apron that would have a bib covering the chest. The miller could quickly take it off to attend to the machinery or greet an important customer. The aprons were made of the same canvas or cotton duck that the flour sacks were made of. Often these were made by the miller's wife. Particles from the milling process often gave the flooring in the mill a very smooth and polished surface, so the millers shoes had to have soles designed to keep him from slipping.

Working in a mill was inheritantly a very dusty job. The dust from the milling process would cover their clothing and exposed skin. Millers, and the workers in mills, often developed lung ailments from constantly breathing the dust produced from grinding the grain.

Answer 3

They were paid in kind ie. they took a percentage of the meal they ground. They were often unpopular (see Chaucer - "Canterbury Tales" ) After all flour looks a whole lot smaller than the grains from which it is ground.