Certain citizens and burghers, who had the privilege of free trade in England or throughout the king's dominions, were exempt from paying tolls or other customs.
_Charter of Henry I. to the citizens of London._
... Let all the men of London be quit and free, and their goods, both throughout England and in the seaports, of toll and passage[5] and lastage[6] and all other customs.
[5] Passage was probably the due payable for the use of ferries.
[6] The most probable explanation of lastage is that it was the due payable for the right of freely carrying away goods bought in a market.
1384. The Mayor and Aldermen of the City of London to the Abbot and Bailiffs and Good Folk of the Town of Colchester.
Desiring them to restore to William Dykeman, Roger Streit, William Fromond, and Henry Loughton, citizens of London, the distress they had taken from their merchandise for piccage at Colchester fair; and to cease in future to take custom of citizens of London, inasmuch as they are and ought to be quit of piccage, and of all manner of custom throughout the King's dominion, by charter granted to them by the King's ancestors. The Lord have them ever in his keeping.
Sharpe, _Cal. Letters of City of London_, 105.
_Charter of Henry II. to the citizens of Oxford._
... I have granted to them moreover that they be quit of toll and passage and every custom throughout England and Normandy, on earth, on water and on the seashore, by land and by strand.
1190. _Charter of Richard I. to the citizens of Winchester._
... This also we have granted that the citizens of Winchester of the Merchant Gild be quit of toll and lastage and pontage[7] in fairs and outside them, and in the seaports of all our lands, on this side the seas and beyond them.
[7] Pontage was a due payable for crossing bridges.
1194. _Charter of Richard I. to the citizens of Lincoln._
... This too we have granted that all citizens of Lincoln be quit of toll and lastage throughout all England and in the seaports.
1200. _Charter of John to the citizens of York confirming a grant by Richard I._
... Know moreover that we have granted and by this charter have confirmed to our citizens of York quittance of any toll, lastage, wrec,[8] pontage, passage, or trespass, and of all customs, throughout England and Normandy and Aquitaine and Anjou and Poitou. Wherefore we will and straitly command that they be thereof quit, and we forbid that any disturb them in the matter, on pain of the forfeiture of £10, as is reasonably testified in the charter of our brother Richard.