Legal Definitions - stallage

Stallage is a historical legal term that refers to a concept primarily associated with public markets and fairs.

It encompasses two distinct, but related, meanings:

• The legal right granted to an individual or entity to set up a temporary stall, booth, or designated selling space within a public market, fairground, or other public trading area.
• The fee or payment charged by the market owner, landlord, or governing authority for granting this right to occupy and trade from such a space.

Here are some examples to illustrate the concept of stallage:

• Imagine a medieval baker in a bustling town who wishes to sell his freshly baked bread and pies at the weekly market. To do so, he would need to acquire stallage – the specific permission granted by the town's market master to occupy a designated spot and erect a temporary stall from which to conduct his trade. Without this right, he could not legally sell his goods within the market premises.

  This example illustrates stallage as the legal right or permission to set up a selling point in a public market.

• Consider a prosperous merchant in 17th-century London who regularly sells fine textiles at the city's large market square. Each market day, he would pay a specific sum to the market authorities for his stallage. This payment covered the privilege of having his stall in a prime location, allowing him to display and sell his wares to a wide array of customers.

  Here, stallage refers to the fee paid for the privilege of setting up and operating a stall within a public market.

• During a historical annual fair held outside a castle, traveling artisans and farmers would converge to sell their unique crafts and produce. Before the fair commenced, each vendor would approach the castle's steward to secure their stallage. This involved both obtaining the official permission to erect their temporary booth on the fairgrounds and paying the required fee to the castle for that privilege, ensuring they had a legitimate space to trade for the duration of the event.

  This example demonstrates both facets of stallage: the right to occupy a space for trade and the payment made to secure that right, in the context of a temporary fair rather than a permanent market.