News from the Mills Archive » Themes on mills and milling » Women in milling » How were women indirectly involved in the milling industry? » Eleanor Williams
Eleanor Williams
The Last miller by J. Idris Davies (1986), concerns David Williams (Davies’ grandfather) of Pentre Mill, Loggerheads, Mold, North Wales [1]. The book details the experience of the family and the mill, regarding its changing fortunes as it was handed down through the generations. David Williams was the son of William Williams, who had married Eleanor Morris in the late 1880s. The book states the "great debt" that was owed to the "patient, industrious work" of Eleanor.
One way in which Eleanor contributed to the family income was by providing pots of tea, afternoon teas and light refreshments to visitors to the area. Pentre Water Mill is now within the Loggerheads Country Park. The park has attracted visitors for many years, with dramatic scenery along the banks of the River Alyn, cliffs and caves.
Eleanor’s tea shop did not have any official opening hours; instead she would serve visitors at any time. As the mill house had no electricity, all the water for the teas had to be boiled on an open fire. At times when school groups visited the area, as they often did, keeping on top of the orders for teas, cakes and bread and butter must have been all-consuming. During the wars, Colomendy camp was built nearby as a camp for children who had been evacuated from Merseyside. When the children’s parents came to visit them at the weekend, this would again be a busy and lucrative time for Eleanor.
Besides providing teas, the Williams family at the Mill were also sometimes called upon by visitors to the area to provide first aid to people walking or cycling in the area. Eleanor’s teashop, charging, for example, two pence for a cup of tea and one shilling for a pot of tea, bread and butter and a boiled egg, reveals just one example of how a "Miller’s wife" could contribute to the often precarious family economy.
In ways such as these, women could be indirectly involved in the milling industry. It is impossible to tell in most cases the extent of the involvement of "Miller’s wives" in the business of milling. Perhaps though, it would be fair to assume that most would have had at least a basic understanding of how the mill worked and how to run it, and that they would have assisted their husbands at least with the less physically demanding tasks of the industry, especially during busy periods or times of economic hardship.
[1] Davies, J. Idris, The Last miller: David Williams of Pentre Mill Loggerheads Mold (County Secretary’s Department, 1986), p.20
Eleanor Williams: gallery
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The Old Mill at Loggerheads, Mold, circa late nineteenth century.The Old Mill at Loggerheads, Mold, circa late nineteenth century. From: Davies, J. Idris, The Last Miller – David Williams of Pentre Mill Loggerheads Mold (County Secretary’s Department, 1986) -
Extract from the visitors book kept at Saw Mill Cottage.Extract from the visitors book kept at Saw Mill Cottage. The middle extract reads: 'A beautiful day in Sept 1912 & enjoyed a magnificent tea.' From: Davies, J. Idris, The Last Miller – David Williams of Pentre Mill Loggerheads Mold (County Secretary’s Department, 1986), p. 23.
