Harvesting the Air : Windmill Pioneers in Twelfth-Century England

J\_his study explores the social context of a technological revolution. It traces the origin of the Western windmill to the early twelfth century and outlines that invention's contradictory effects. A cavalcade of fascinating, forgotten personalities championed, exploited, and even opposed wind-powered machines. These individuals once debated everything from ecclesiastical issues to land reclamation. Now they can introduce readers to four generations of surprising change. Not long ago there were millions of windmills, but most disappeared with the spread of electricity. Some countries lost them altogether. The remnants were thought to be quaint decaying landmarks, until the energy crisis of 1973. Then people learned that thousands of bent blades had never stopped turning and realized that their faithful productivity offered one viable solution to current energy needs. Soon countless new windmills were springing up all over. Coincidentally, my research in Anglo-Norman documents uncovered exciting new information about the earliest mills and the men and women who promoted them. Some of the characters XI xii / PREFACE were generous and some were devious, but all optimistically encouraged commercial enterprise and a wide dispersal of laborsaving techniques. Their farsighted, typically medieval, trait of employing basic knowledge to enhance the general welfare was no accident, for mechanical skill was a valued asset on the pilgrim road to eternity. Humility was another pilgrim virtue, but it effectively prevented the earliest wind-power pioneers from gaining much recognition in their own time. It is pleasing and appropriate to salute them now when everyone is seeking energy independence. Many scholars have cheerfully aided my investigation. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1987.