26 March 1432
All residents of Lynn, whatever their status, shall have their grain
ground at the common mill if the mill is able to handle their demands.
Henceforth if anyone has his grain ground at any mill outside of town
when the common mill could have ground it, he shall forfeit the grain
or the flour produced outside town, which may be confiscated by the
common sergeant or someone else and put to the use of the community.
[The mill had been built in
the 1390s to create a new source
of revenue for the borough (see the notes appended to the mill's entry
in the rental); one of the chamberlains
was assigned the responsibility of keeping track of mill finances, and
there even appears to have been a contrarotulator assigned to keep duplicate
accounts, as a control on honest accounting. Between 29 September 1398
and 25 March 1399 the borough had obtained revenues of £33.3s.4d
from the mill, through fees for grinding 1,670 qt. of grain (at 4d. a
quarter), although much of this had to be reinvested in mill maintenance.
After March 25 the corn mill, together with a fulling mill, two
cottages and a garden, were farmed to John Miller for three years at
£50 a year, and farming out henceforth became the preferred approach
for dealing with the mills. However, it proved difficult persuading
bakers and other townsmen to give their business to the town mill, and
eventually it became necessary to apply compulsion through this ordinance.
Four bakers were appointed to supervise adherence to the ordinance. Fines
were later introduced as an added deterrent.]