Published: 2020-12-14

Milling and baking in Piotrków in the 16th–18th century

Marcin Łukasz Majewski
Kwartalnik Historii Kultury Materialnej
Section: Studies and Materials
DOI https://doi.org/10.23858/KHKM68.2020.4.005

Abstract

In the early modern period Piotrków was the largest urban centre of the Sieradz voivodship, and counted among the middle-sized towns of the Crown of Poland, having a population of c. 2000 in the second half of the 16th c. Furthermore, it was politically significant as the seat of the general assembly of the Seym of the Crown in the 15th–16th c., and from 1578 the seat of the Crown Tribunal for the province of Greater Poland. Milling and baking in Piotrków have not been widely researched so far, and they deserve attention as two trades vital for the everyday life of the town’s inhabitants. The mill, an establishment where grain and malt were ground, provided the urban community with basic products necessary for making bread and beer. The article investigates the functioning of mills in Piotrków in the 16th–18th c., and the issue of bread production, on the basis of tax records, guild and Church records, and lease contracts. First, the discussion focuses on the beginnings of local milling, the number, categorization and functioning of mills. Then, matters connected with lease are explored, in particular the conditions of lease contracts, the duties and privileges of millers, the rotation of leaseholders, and the crucial role of women in the running of mills. The second part of the articles is devoted to the baking trade, presenting its beginnings in Piotrków evidenced in written sources, the organization of the trade in the 16th–18th c., the alleged foundation of the bakers’ guild in 1630, the figures of several prominent bakers and gingerbread-makers and the prices of bread.

Keywords:

milling, baking, Piotrków, town, prices

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Majewski, M. Łukasz. (2020). Milling and baking in Piotrków in the 16th–18th century. Kwartalnik Historii Kultury Materialnej, 68(4), 533–554. https://doi.org/10.23858/KHKM68.2020.4.005

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