Millers and Millwrights Guild
The millers and millwrights have one of the most
important guilds with a monopoly on the ownership
and operation of all mills and milling. Local lords
have, from time to time, attempted to usurp the
miller’s rights by building their own mills, but
masons will not construct them and millers refuse
to operate them.
Most mills are used only for grinding grain and
virtually all manors/villages have at least one mill. Most mills are water-powered, but
wind and muscle power drive about fifteen percent of all mills. Mills are generally
owned by the guild and awarded as franchises to freemaster millers, who pay 20%
(rather than the standard 10%) dues. Each mill pays an annual tax of (usually) 240d
to the local fiefholder or landlord. A freemaster miller generally retains 5-15% of the
grain he grinds, most of which he sells to mercantylers.
An important guild speciality is that of millwright. These are engineers familiar with
the construction, operation, and maintenance of large machinery. Most millers have
some understanding of the operation of heavy equipment, but it is typically a function
performed by masters who specialize in this activity. Some major nobles employ
bonded master millwrights to build, run, and maintain heavy machinery such as
derricks, drawbridges, gates, etc.