thirlage

/ ˈθɜːlɪdʒ /

noun

1. an obligation imposed upon tenants of certain lands requiring them to have their grain ground at a specified mill

2. the fee paid for grinding the grain

Word History and Origins

Origin of thirlage¹

C16: variant of earlier thrillage, from thrill, Scottish variant of _thrall

Example Sentences

I had a bit guid property in the Loudans, ca'ed Lucky's How, every clod o't my ain, wi' a yearly rental o' forty merks, guid siller, forby the thirlage o' the Mill o' Meldrum, that was worth a guid twa or three merks mair.

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We have no turbary, or any other easement; but, to compensate us, we have thirlage, outsucken multures, insucken multures, and dry multures; as also we have a soumin and roumin, as any one who has been so fortunate as to hear Mr Outram's pathetic lyric on that interesting right of pasturage will remember, in conjunction with pleasing associations.

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He smiled a dry, humorsome smile—the smile of a shrewd miller casting up his thirlage upon the mill door when he sees the fields of his parish ripe to the harvest.

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The expression lock, for a small quantity of any readily divisible dry substance, as corn, meal, flax, or the like, is still preserved, not only popularly, but in a legal description, as the lock and gowpen, or small quantity and handful, payable in thirlage cases, as in town multure.

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I could speak to the thirlage of invecta et illata too, but let that pass.

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