Legal Definitions - hallage

Hallage is a historical term referring to a fee or toll that was charged for the privilege of selling goods or merchandise within a designated market hall. This payment was typically made to the owner or lord of the market in exchange for the use of the common hall space for commercial transactions.

Here are some examples to illustrate the concept of hallage:

• Imagine a bustling medieval town where a merchant, Sir Reginald, arrives with a cart full of fine woolen cloth. To sell his textiles at the town's prestigious weekly market, which is held inside the grand Guild Hall, Sir Reginald must pay a specific sum to the town's mayor, who oversees the market on behalf of the local lord. This payment, made for the right to conduct sales within the hall, would be considered hallage.

• Consider a large annual agricultural fair held within the common hall of a wealthy manor estate. Farmers from surrounding villages bring their produce, livestock, and homemade goods to sell. Before setting up his stall to sell sacks of grain and fresh eggs, a farmer named Thomas pays a small fee to the manor steward. This fee grants Thomas permission to trade his commodities inside the manor's hall for the duration of the fair, and it is an example of hallage.

• In a port city granted a royal charter to host a significant trade market, foreign merchants often sought to sell exotic spices and silks. If the city designated its large waterfront warehouse, known as the 'Merchants' Hall,' as the primary selling point for these goods, any merchant wishing to display and sell their wares within this specific hall would be required to pay a toll to the city's market master. This toll, levied for the use of the hall for commercial activity, would be referred to as hallage.