THE LOST WHEELThe wheel-water- mills around Leno

• The wheel-water-mills• Around Leno • The mills

Index

The wheel-water-mills

What: they are types of rural buildings When: they were built during the Middle Age Where: around Europe Function: they were important for the rural

economy and for the food supply Problems: the use of water. It was public and

it was owned by the Council, so there were rules which had to be followed by the private owners of the mills. During summer for example the water had to be used for the irrigation of the fields, and so it was not used by the mills.

Around Leno

In 1820 around Leno there were seven wheel-water mills, four of them were public and three ones were private. All the mills around Leno have been listed in the Napoleonic terrier. The public mills were rented by private people every three years and the cost of the rent used to vary according to the annual cost of the cereals.

Around Leno

The millers had always to guarantee high quality flours or rice. Their work was not paid with money but it used to be paid with the fifth part of the harvest.

The millers had to mill the grains to everybody, they had to maintain the buildings clean, the machinery efficient, the water of the mill pond clear, they could not work on Sundays.

Grinder detail

The MillsNumber on

the Napoleonic

terrier

Owners Type Description

2094 Council Leno One-wheel Water mill

It was also used to mill the rice. Demolished in 1925

2667 Council Leno Two-wheel water mill

Existing

746 Martinengo Bale Vinceslao e Federico

Three-wheel water mill

It was near a farm, it used to mill corn, wheat, oat, barley,Rice. Existing

2348 Council Leno Two-wheel water mill, it had an oil press

It was used to grain also linseed. Demolished in 1939

2590 Council Leno Three-wheel water mill

Demolished.

3179 1\2 Council Leno One-wheel water mill, it had an oil press.

Existing

1837 Council Leno Two-wheel water mill

Existing

The Mills

As we can see from the table some wheel-water-mills have disappeared, new buildings have replaced the ancient mills but the names of the streets remind that in the past there used to be wheel-water-mills there (for example Via Mulino di Sopra). Some Mills have been converted into something different, they have lost their former function and they have been reused as stores, some of them have been abandoned and are going to decay.