prisage

[ prahy-zij ]

noun

, Old English Law.

1. the right of the king to take a certain quantity of every cargo of wine imported.

prisage

/ ˈpraɪzɪdʒ /

noun

1. a customs duty levied until 1809 upon wine imported into England

Word History and Origins

Origin of prisage¹

1495–1505; prise + -age; compare Medieval Latin prisāgium

Word History and Origins

Origin of prisage¹

C16: from Anglo-French, from Old French prise a taking or requisitioning, duty, from prendre to take; see prise

Example Sentences

In the 14th century the burgesses of Hull disputed the right of the archbishop of York to prisage of wine and other liberties in Hull, which they said belonged to the king.

From Project Gutenberg

Blood freely flowed, and the Archbishop, seeing that he could not make, with any degree of success, a stand against so many opponents, beat a hasty retreat, followed a considerable distance out of the town by a large number of excited inhabitants of Hull, eager to avenge the wrongs it was believed His Grace had done to the port by collecting, or attempting to collect, prisage.

From Project Gutenberg

It was the practice, exercised according to ancient custom, of the Archbishop of York to claim prisage from every vessel of twenty tons burden entering the river Hull.

From Project Gutenberg

Prisage, prī′zāj, n. formerly a right of the English kings to seize for crown purposes, esp. that of taking two tuns of wine from every ship importing twenty tuns or more.

From Project Gutenberg

The English merchants, however, for the time, successfully resisted the application in their case of the higher charges, and consequently remained under the old prisage of wine.

From Project Gutenberg