multure, n.
(ˈmʌltjʊə(r), -tʃə(r))
Forms: 4–5 multir, 5 -yr, Sc. mowter, 5–7 molter, 5–9 multer, 6 -ur, multrar, myltour, 7 mou(l)ture; Sc. and dial. 5–9 moulter, 7–9 moulture, mooter, 8 multur, mu'ter, 9 multre, etc. (see E.D.D.); 5– multure, 7– mulcture.
[a. OF. molture, moulture, mod.F. mouture:—med.L. molitūra, f. molit-, molĕre to grind. The form mulcture is due to association with mulct.]
1. a. A toll consisting of a proportion of the grain carried or of the flour made, paid to the proprietor or tenant of a mill for the privilege of having corn ground at it. b. The right to exact this toll.
| c 1300 [see multure-greve below]. c 1450 Eng. Misc. (Surtees) 61 All maner of mesurys of y⊇ mylne that thai take multyr with. 1478 Acta Audit. (1839) 59/1 Johne boid..summond..for þe mult{supr} of þe teind schaf at dalmusternach. 1565–6 Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 428 The landis of..Braidley, with the myln and multuris of the samyn. 1622 Extr. Burgh Rec. Stirling (1887) 157 Nor yit that their be ony alteratioun..of the quantitie of the multure or knaifshep that presentlie is payed. 1628 Coke On Litt. 47 A rent cannot be reserued..out of any incorporeall inheritance, as..mulcture of a Mill. 1641 Best Farm. Bks. (Surtees) 103 Or else the fault is in the miller that taketh more mowter then is his due. 1681 Stair Instit. i. xvii. §15 When a Superiour gives out Lands upon condition of Thirlage, the Multures are part of the reddendo or price. 1747 Act 20 Geo. II, c. 43 §17 Recovery of Multures or Services payable or prestable to their Mills. 1788 W. Marshall Yorksh. II. 342 Mooter. 1820 Scott Monast. viii, The Dame Glendinning had always paid her mulcture and knaveship duly. 1851 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XII. i. 132 When farmers get oats made into meal for the use of their families and servants, the miller retains as multure 83/4 lbs. (a Scotch peck) for every boll (140 lbs.) of meal produced. |
c. In proverbial expressions.
| 1607 R. C[arew] tr. Estienne's World of Wonders 302 To bring the moulter to their mill. 1623 Bp. Sanderson Serm. 11 June (1689) 114 It were a lamentable thing if these men should be..maintained by the Magistrates..of purpose to bring Moulter to their own Mills. 1653 Urquhart Rabelais i. xi. 55 Out of one sack he would take two moutures or fees for grinding. 1820 [see meal n.1 3 a]. |
¶ d. Used (by confusion with
mult,
mulct n.) for: A fine.
| 1533 Bellenden Livy iv. xiii. (S.T.S.) II. 93 To promulgate ane law richt plesand to þe pepil concernyng the estimatioun of multuris [orig. multarum]. |
2. attrib.:
† multure-ark, a chest or box in which the multure was deposited (
cf. dial. multure-chest);
† multure-corn, corn taken in payment of multure; hence often
= an inferior or mixed kind of corn;
multure dish dial., a vessel for measuring or collecting the multure;
† multure grave,
greve [see
grave n.3,
grieve], the steward who had charge of the multure;
† multure meal = 1 a;
† multure oath, an oath to the effect that multure had been paid.
| 1483 Cath. Angl. 246/2 A *Multer arke, emolimentarium. |
| 1546 Yks. Chantry Surv. (Surtees) II. 246 The x{supt}{suph} of the *multer co[r]ne of Skipton Mylnez. 1592 Nottingham Rec. iv. 237 A busshell of multure corne. 1611 Cotgr., Bled barnage, Meslin, or moulture corne. 1619 J. King Serm. 11 Apr. 37 Ezekiel (Ezech. 4) lieth and sleepeth vpon his left and right side, and maketh him bread of moulter corne. 1625 F. Markham Bk. Honour ii. viii. §2, I can compare these wretched Clownes..to nothing but poore Moulter Corne, which this Milstone of knighthood grinds to dust, to feed dogs. |
| 1483 Cath. Angl. 246/2 A *Multer dische, metreta, tessera. 1636 W. Sampson Vow-breaker ii. i. D, Oh the Mooter dish, the Millers thumbe and the maide behinde the Hopper. a 1800 in M. A. Richardson Local Hist. Table Bk. Leg. Div. (1844) II. 136 The moutar dish was nearly fou iv a' kinds iv grain but yits. 1547 *Multer fre [see multure v.]. 1651 MS. Agreement, Treeton mill, co. York, [The tenant] shall have his corn ground at Treeton mill moulter free and free to the hopper. ? a 1800 in Buchan Ball. (1828) II. 126 When ye come to my father's mill, Ye shall grind muture free. |
| c 1300 Durh. Treas. Misc. Cart. No. 6592 Ricardo le *Multirgreue de Werke. 1479 Hexham Priory (Surtees) II. 77 Sub pœna perditionis totius grani versus lez multir-grafe. |
| 1566 Cal. Laing Charters (1899) 205 [The oatmeal called the] *multure meill [of the granter's mill of Denny]. |
| 1480 Peebles Charters, etc. 207 To atteiche the maltmen that duellis within the fredome of burgh to the nixt court for to mak and gif ane *multer aith for the termes bygane. |
Hence
† ˈmulture v. [
cf. OF. multurer in both senses], (
a) to grind; (
b) to exact the toll of multure from.
| c 1450 Eng. Misc. (Surtees) 60 When j qwharter wheytt is sald for iiij s., than schall y⊇ corne be multyrd at y⊇ xvj vessell. 1547 Aberdeen Reg. (1844) I. 250 It is lesum to ws to grind and multur our cornis..at the mill of Gilcamstoun, multur fre. 1582 [see multurer]. |