Pavage facts for kids

Pavage was a special kind of payment collected a long time ago, during the medieval period (the Middle Ages). People paid this money to help fix or build roads and streets in places like England, Wales, and Ireland.

Think of it like a small fee you might pay today to use a special road, but back then, it was specifically for keeping the roads in good shape. The king would give official permission, called "letters patent" (which were like special written orders from the king), to a person, a town, or even a group of people from a nearby village. This permission allowed them to collect the pavage money.

What Was Pavage For?

Pavage payments were mainly used for two different things:

• Town Streets: Most of the time, pavage was collected to pave (or make smooth with stones) the streets inside a town or its busy marketplace. Imagine how muddy and bumpy roads could get without proper paving!
• Country Roads: Sometimes, pavage was collected to fix specific roads outside of towns, especially during the 1300s. These were often important roads leading out of big cities like London, which probably had a lot of carts and people traveling on them.

Early Examples of Pavage

One of the first times pavage was allowed was in 1249. This was for the town of Beverley in Yorkshire. The money collected there was connected to a local saint, St John of Beverley, and eventually, this pavage collection became a permanent thing.

Another early example happened in 1266 for the town of Shrewsbury. Here, the pavage was used to pave a brand new marketplace. Before this, the market was in a churchyard, but it was moved to a new, paved area. In 1343, the people of Dublin were also given permission to collect pavage for five years to help their city's roads.

Other Medieval Payments

Pavage wasn't the only special payment collected in the Middle Ages. There were other similar tolls that kings would grant permission for:

• Murage: This was money collected to build or repair the strong walls around a town. These walls were important for protection.
• Pontage: This payment was used to build or fix bridges. Bridges were vital for crossing rivers and making travel easier.