Crossing the bridge: Notes on development of the rynd

View/ Open
Issue date
2019Author
Watts, Martin
Suggested citation
Watts, Martin;
.
(2019)
.
Crossing the bridge: Notes on development of the rynd.
Revista d'arqueologia de Ponent, 2019, extra 4, p. 35-44.
https://doi.org/10.21001/rap.2019.extra-4.2.
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The mill rynd or bridge is probably the most important fitting in a corn mill: it carries
the upper millstone on the head of the spindle and enables it to be turned by the machinery of
the mill. Although it is therefore an essential component of milling technology, its development
has received little attention or analysis. This paper considers the development of the rynd
from the earliest power-driven millstones in the Roman period through to the introduction of
sophisticated forms in the late 18th and early-mid 19th centuries. This development is witnessed
not only in the physical survival of mill rynds themselves but also in the negative information
found in the shapes of the recesses which were cut in the faces of millstones to locate them.
A range of sources, including depictions of rynds in medieval wall paintings and their use as
heraldic charges, is also explored.
Note
Anderson, T.J., Alonso, N. (eds), Tilting at Mills: The Archaeology and Geology of Mills and Milling. Revista d’Arqueologia de Ponent. Número Extra 4, 2019. ISBN: 9788491440291Is part of
Revista d'arqueologia de Ponent, 2019, extra 4, p. 35-44European research projects
Collections
The following license files are associated with this item:
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
American millstones similar to the French burr: 19th century attempts to find substitutes
Hockensmith, Charles D. (Universitat de Lleida. Departament d'Història. Secció d'Arqueologia, Prehistòria i Història Antiga, 2019)During the early to mid 19th century, attempts were made in the United States to locate local sources of stone that were comparable in texture or appearance to that of the well known French burr millstone. These searches ... -
Rotary querns and millstones in South-West England
Watts, Susan; Watts, Martin (Universitat de Lleida. Departament d'Història. Secció d'Arqueologia, Prehistòria i Història Antiga, 2019)The south-west of England comprises some of the most varied geology in the British Isles. This has not only given rise to a diverse landscape but has also provided the region with various sources of stone suitable for ... -
Norwegian millstone quarries in the face of European competition and cooperation 18th - 19 centuries
Belmont, Alain (Universitat de Lleida. Departament d'Història. Secció d'Arqueologia, Prehistòria i Història Antiga, 2019)Although geographically outside the heart of Europe, Norwegian millstone production was far from isolated from the rest of the continent. This article is based on research undertaken in French historical archives, a ...