Legal Definitions - bothagium

BOTHAGIUM

Bothagium refers to the customary dues that were paid to a lord for placing a booth in a fair or market. It was also known as bord-halfpenny or boothage.

During medieval times, merchants had to pay bothagium to the lord of the land in order to set up their booths in a fair or market. For example, if a merchant wanted to sell his goods in a market, he had to pay a fee to the lord of the land where the market was held. This fee was called bothagium.

Another example of bothagium can be seen in the case of a traveling merchant who wanted to set up a booth in a fair. He would have to pay bothagium to the lord of the land where the fair was held. This fee was necessary to secure a spot in the fair and to sell his goods.

These examples illustrate how bothagium was a customary fee that had to be paid by merchants in order to sell their goods in a fair or market. It was a way for the lord of the land to earn money and control the activities that took place in the fair or market.