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Tonnage and poundage were duties and taxes first levied in
Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to ...
's reign on every tun (cask) of imported
wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented grapes. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different ...
, which came mostly from
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
and
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...
, and on every pound weight of
merchandise Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative way that entices customers to purchase more ...
exported or imported. Traditionally tonnage and poundage was granted by
Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
to the king for life, but this practice did not continue into the reign of
Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...
. Tonnage and poundage were swept away by the Customs and Excise Act 1787.


History

Introduced in the 14th century, ''tonnage'' was a
duty A duty (from "due" meaning "that which is owing"; fro, deu, did, past participle of ''devoir''; la, debere, debitum, whence "debt") is a commitment or expectation to perform some action in general or if certain circumstances arise. A duty may ...
upon all wines imported in addition to prisage and butlerage, while ''poundage'' was a duty imposed at the rate of twelve pence in the pound on all merchandise imported or exported. The duties were levied at first by agreement with merchants (poundage in 1302, tonnage in 1347), then granted by parliament in 1373, at first for a limited period only. They were considered to be imposed for the defence of the realm. From the reign of Henry VI they were usually granted for life.
Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...
's first parliament, known as the
Useless Parliament The Useless Parliament was the first Parliament of England of the reign of King Charles I, sitting only from June until August 1625. It gained its name because it transacted no significant business, making it 'useless' from the king's point o ...
, broke with tradition and granted the king tonnage and poundage for a year rather than life out of concern over the manner in which the tonnage and poundage's life grant of 1604 had been used by James I to justify impositions, which were additional duties imposed on certain items. This restriction was seen as a provocative step by Parliament as it was one of the King's main sources of revenue, and Parliament intended the one-year limit to curb Charles' autonomy by forcing him to request money from Parliament every year thereafter. Although the House of Commons passed this bill,
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, 28 August 1592 – 23 August 1628), was an English courtier, statesman, and patron of the arts. He was a favourite and possibly also a lover of King James I of England. Buckingham remained at the ...
led a successful effort in the
House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...
to block it. As a result, Parliament granted Charles no tonnage and poundage rights at all, which, combined with Parliament's efforts to impeach the Duke of Buckingham, led to Charles' first parliament being dissolved. Charles, however, continued to collect unauthorised tonnage and poundage duties, and this action became a chief complaint of Charles' failed parliament of 1629. When Charles moved to adjourn the parliament, members held the speaker, John Finch, in his seat until three resolutions could be read, one of which declared anyone who paid unauthorised tonnage and poundage to be a betrayer and enemy of England.


Impact

Charles I's levying of tonnage and poundage without parliamentary sanction continued to be one of the complaints of his
Long Parliament The Long Parliament was an English Parliament which lasted from 1640 until 1660. It followed the fiasco of the Short Parliament, which had convened for only three weeks during the spring of 1640 after an 11-year parliamentary absence. In Septe ...
. The refusal of and subsequent disputes about tonnage and poundage rights is seen as one of the many events bearing responsibility for the
English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I (" Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of r ...
. After the Restoration they were granted to Charles II and his two successors for life. By acts of Queen Anne and George I the duties were made perpetual, and mortgaged for the public debt. In 1787 they were finally abolished by the Customs Consolidation Act, and other modes of obtaining revenue substituted.


See also

*
Tonnage Tonnage is a measure of the cargo-carrying capacity of a ship, and is commonly used to assess fees on commercial shipping. The term derives from the taxation paid on ''tuns'' or casks of wine. In modern maritime usage, "tonnage" specifically r ...
*
Ton Ton is the name of any one of several units of measure. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. Mainly it describes units of weight. Confusion can arise because ''ton'' can mean * the long ton, which is 2,240 pounds ...
* Poundage *
Ship money Ship money was a tax of medieval origin levied intermittently in the Kingdom of England until the middle of the 17th century. Assessed typically on the inhabitants of coastal areas of England, it was one of several taxes that English monarchs co ...


References

{{Reflist History of taxation in the United Kingdom