Duke's Mill

There is not much evidence of a mill in the picture. What is depicted is the tools that were used to brew beer, for the Duke's Mill was owned by the brewers who had their barley milled there.
We see a large basket filled with spices that was lowered into the beer mixture, after which it was stirred with the large cross-shaped sticks.

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The gable stone originates from the former Duke's mill, located Achter de Molens / corner Witmakersstraat, which was demolished in 1900 to widen the street.
This Duke's mill, formerly also called the mill of St. Servaas, became the property of the St. Servaas chapter in 1122. It was the compulsion mill for the Brabant inhabitants of the city of Maastricht, who had to use it and pay for it, of course. It was therefore a form of taxation.
In 1446 the mill became the property of the brewers' guild and, according to the chronogram, was rebuilt in 1734: MaChIna braXanDIs eXUrgo strUCta farInIs, i.e. built as a malt mill, I rise.

Because of its bicommunal status, the city of Maastricht had two compulsion mills. For the people of Brabant it was the Duke´s Mill, named after the Duke of Brabant, and for the people of Liege it was the Bisschopsmolen.
The right to grind, also known as the right of gunpowder, was usually leased or given in fief by the lord. The brewers were only allowed to buy the gunpowder necessary for the production of beer from the associated powder houses. This gunpowder, presumably from the gale plant, was eventually replaced by hops, which preserved the beer longer.
The brewers' attributes, the wastepaper basket and the forks, can be seen on the stone. The edge decoration contains a few letters: R - R - N - R. These are the initials of the four governors of the brewing trade at the time and the mill masters Reggers, Roos, Nijpels and Rutten.