Bateson, Mary, ed., "Letters testimonial to support a citizen's exemption from toll"; excerpt from Records of the Borough of Leicester, vol. 2 (London, pp. 230-1) Read this source online
Text name(s): Letters testimonial to support a citizen's exemption from toll
Number of pages of primary source text: 2
Author(s):
Dates: 1420 - 1420
Archival Reference: Leicestershire Record Office, Leicester archives
Original Language(s):
- Anglo-Norman
Translation:
- Translated into English.
Translation Comments:
Geopolitical Region(s):
- England
County/Region: Leicester
Record Types:
- Letter
Subject Headings:
- Economy - Trade
- Towns / Cities
Apparatus:
- Glossary
- Bibliography
- Introduction
Comments:
Stephen Alsford’s Medieval English Urban History website (http://www.trytel.com/~tristan/towns/towns.html) contains extensive primary and secondary information about Medieval English towns. Each primary source document is accompanied by a glossary and a discussion that summarizes the meaning and importance of the document and provides extensive background information; many of the documents have also been newly translated by Alsford into modern English This document is an example of a letter exempting the bearer from paying tolls, due to his status as a merchant or guild member, and is taken from Mary Bateson, ed., Records of the Borough of Leicester, vols. 1-2 (London, 1899)..
Introduction Summary:
The website provides an abundance of background information to these documents. This particular document is in the “Economy” section of primary source documents, under the subheading “Tolls and Customs.” In the introductory essay to “Tolls and Customs” (http://www.trytel.com/~tristan/towns/florilegium/ectol_i.html) Alsford discusses the costs of doing business, the history of local tolls, the development of nation-wide customs, and the frequency of smuggling. The introduction includes a bibliography.
Cataloger: MK
