Summary of articles in International Molinology No 109, which were published in December 2024
‘Portugal symposium excursions’ by Graham Hackney.
The 16th TIMS Symposium 2024 was held from 21 to 26 September, based in Ponte de Sor (nr Lisbon) before moving north to Valongo (nr Porto). Mills first visited included those around Ponte de Sor; a fully submersible watermill situated in a valley bottom, a hybrid water and diesel-powered mill and a recently restored windmill with jib sails and tailpole. Moving to mills in Central Portugal, there were visits to saltpans that still used the shadouf for raising brine, a windmill with wooden tower with capstan winding and ‘singing pots’, two tiny paltrok mills and an iron-built windmill, then a combined water and oil mill that may date back to the 5th century. Mills around Valongo included the mills complex of Santa Comba Dão with a recently restored oil mill, then a watermill with two pairs of stones, a U.S. Mast & Foos-type windmill, a horse mill in a barn driven by cattle, then a molinological park with several watermills and a bakery. Northern Portugal mills included a windmill just outside Valongo, watermills set upon weirs on the R.Ave, the windmill complex at Moinhos da Abelheira (seven mills), and finally the Azenha da Ponte watermill in the ancient city of Barcelos.
‘Post-symposium tour; Southern Portugal, Tagus and Sado estuaries and West Coast mills (Oeste region)’ by Graham Hackney.
A smaller group stayed on for this tour (27 to 29 September) which began in Lisbon, where visits were made to Moinhos do Caramão da Ajuda (windmills associated with Santos Simões) and another windmill nearby, then an ancient tide mill at Sexal with eight sets of stones, then four more windmill sites, another tide mill at Montijo, then a visit to an agricultural museum with an oil mill. The last day of the tour included a visit to a double watermill in original condition, another Mast & Foos-type windmill, another windmill then the windmill complex at Moinhos da Pinhoa (5 mills), a watermill complex by the coast at Santa Cruz, another windmill then the oil mills and watermill at the Palacio do Marqués in Lisbon.
‘Human-Powered Norias in the Potosino Highlands in Mexico during the Porfiriato: the case of Hacienda de Cruces’ by Sergio Franco-Maass, Alejandra Olimpia Padilla-Brom & Ana María Gutiérrez-Rivas.
During the Porfiriato period (1876 – 1911) in Mexico, large estates (latifudia) raised sheep and cattle. The estates, such as the one at Haciebda de Cruces, employed complex systems of irrigation to water the stock. Here this one was fed by norias, 30 driven by beasts and 12 by human-power. The authors investigated the buildings and machinery used for extraction by human-power and the water storage and distribution systems.
‘Pioneer Australian Windmill Researcher, William McCook’ by T.Lindsay Baker.
William Archibald McCook became fascinated by the American-style windmills used for irrigation in New South Wales. He became the “absolute living authority” on the history of wind engines in Australia, and the author recounts his journey of discovery. This included many tours, including those to the United States and Argentina, and the publication of his book ‘Windmills of the World’ in 1986.
Communications articles include a short ‘Summary of PhD thesis of Olga Lekou: Water power and wind power in pre-industrial Attica’. Olga amassed huge amounts of research data, then converted it to geographical mapping allowing further analysis. This is followed by ‘Further considerations on Sickle Dress for Millstones’ by MJA Beacham. Here Mike Beacham continues his investigations into the distribution of this type of millstone dressing, and its possible advantages. Then follows another communications article from Nicole Bakker, who exhorts us to ‘Join the Craft of the Miller Network’ which sets out to safeguard and promote the craft of the traditional miller. This is done through a series of on-line conferences, at no cost to the participants.
Also included in this edition of International Molinology are two obituaries; the first for Alan Wallis, long-term TIMS member and stalwart of the Wicken Corn mill restoration team. The second is for Eberhard Ebner, a well-known publisher in Germany who was another long-term member with a passion for windmills and watermills.