Molenleven in Rijnland: Bijdrage tot de kennis van het volksleven in de streek rondom Leiden
Full details
| English title | Mill life in the Rhineland: contribution to the knowledge of folk life in the region around Leiden |
| Authors & editors | |
| Publisher | A W Sijthoffs Uitgeversmij |
| Year of publication | 1946 |
| Languages | Dutch (main text) |
| Medium | Book |
| Edition | 1 |
| Topics | |
| Tags | |
| Scope & content | Foreword by the author. Chapter I, entitled “The law of the wind of the right to motive power of mills” describes the development of the legal right to the use of wind power in the Netherlands. Chapter II, “The preservation of windmills”, describes preservation efforts up to and including the second world war. Chapter III, “The names of windmills”, describes how the names of individual mills came about, and customary naming patterns. Chapter IV, “The miller’s dwelling”, describes with the aid of diagrams and photographs the internal and external aspects of millers’ residences attached to mills. Chapter V, “Architectural beauty in windmills”, describes the mills in their environment of flat land and polder, and the decorative aspects of their construction, with details of some inscriptions on them. Chapter VI, “Ghosts and devils used to besiege the windmills”, covers legends and folk beliefs around windmills. Chapter VII, “The water-miller, his work and his extra duties”, describes the daily life of millers in water-mills in some historical detail. Chapter VIII, “Peculiarities of indirect drainage”, describes the development of drainage mechanisms in water-mills over the centuries, with diagrams. Chapter IX, “Life in a sawmill”, describes the operation of a typical sawmill and the life of its employees as it has developed over time. Chapter X, “The operation of a grain mill”, covers the practical aspects of grain milling, with examples from several mills in the region. Chapter XI, “Leiden fulling mills”, covers the history of fulling in the Leiden area. Chapter XII, “The work of the mill-constructor, the sail-maker and the thatcher”, describes these occupations, essential to the running of a mill. Chapter XIII, “Games and festivities at windmills”, describes leisure activities surrounding mill life. Chapter XIV, “Little mills (scale models)” describes some examples of “toy miniature mills. Chapter XV, “The language of the miller”, explains millers’ terminology. Chapter XVI, “The language of the mill sails”, explains the signalling devices that can be employed on mill sails to convey messages across the wide flat landscape. Chapter XVII, “Of mill fires and sparks”, explains the susceptibility of wooden mills to fire damage. Chapter XVIII, “Mill visiting”, describes the annual customs examination of mills. Chapter XIX, “Inspections and the associated duties of the water-miller” explains the inspections that take place once or twice a year and the duties of the miller relating to them. Chapter XX, “Polder days”, describes the tradition of Polder Days relating to drainage mills. Chapter XI, “Polder chests”, describes the tradition of conserving the valuables held by a polder mill in a wooden chest in past times. Chapter XXII, “Polder chalices”, describes the elaborately decorated goblets and chalices made specifically for polder mills. Chapter XXIII, “De Valk: a Leiden grain mill”, describes in detail one surviving 17th-century grain mill in the Leiden district. |
Copies held
Accession no. 230309
- Shelf location: C112-CAA
- Notes: Book plate of John Waern Hill; 155 pages, illustrated.
- Advance notice required to view in person
