Post Mill

Timeline

1. 1360–1390Low Countries · Low CountriesPopulation recovery after the Black Death drove demand for grain processing; post mills, relatively simple in structure and operable by a miller's whole family, multiplied rapidly in the countryside of Flanders and the Netherlands, and became closely tied to the lords' monopoly on milling rights.
2. 1400–1600England and the Baltic coast · EuropePost mills expanded from grain grinding to oil pressing, sawing, and draining polders; sail adjustment and braking devices were gradually improved. Records and land deeds in England and Scandinavia show a steady increase in the number of windmills during the 15th and 16th centuries.