thirlage
/ˈθɜrlɪdʒ/
noun
- A historical legal obligation requiring tenants to use a specific mill (usually owned by the landlord) to grind their grain.
- The museum exhibit explained how thirlage kept local peasants dependent on the landowner.
- Many Scottish villages still have records of thirlage agreements from the 18th century.
- Under the old system of thirlage, farmers had no choice but to take their wheat to the lord's mill.