(3.) Banalité of the manor bull. No coutumes mention this; but there were title-deeds that established the right. The same may be said of the right of banalité for butchers’ shambles.
In general these latter banalités of which we have just spoken were more uncommon, and looked upon with a still less favourable eye than the others. They could only be exercised by the clearest declaration of the coutumes, or, where that was wanting, by the most precise title.
Ban des Vendanges.—This was still practised throughout the whole of the kingdom in the eighteenth century. It was a simple right of police attached to the right of haute justice. In order to exercise it, the Seigneur, who was Haut Justicier, did not need to possess any other title. The ban des vendanges was obligatory upon everybody. The coutumes of Burgundy give the Seigneur the right of gathering in his vintage a day before any other vine proprietor.
Droit de Banvin.—This was a right still possessed by a quantity of Seigneurs (as our authors have it), either by custom or special title, to sell the wine grown upon their manors for a certain period of time, in general a month or forty days, before any one else. Among the grandes coutumes those of Tours, Anjou, the Maine, and La Marche alone established it, and had regulations for it. A verdict of the Cour des Aides, dated 28th August, 1751, authorises publicans (as an exception to the common rule) to sell wine during the banvin; but this must have referred only to the wine of the Seigneur, made from that year’s growth. The coutumes that establish and regulate the right of banvin generally require that it should be founded upon legal title.
Droit de Blairie was a right belonging to the Seigneur, who was Haut Justicier, to grant permission to the inhabitants to have their cattle graze upon lands situated throughout his jurisdiction, or upon waste lands. This right did not exist in any parts regulated by droit écrit; but it was common enough in those where the droit coutumier was in force. It was to be found under different denominations, more particularly in the Bourbonnais, the Nivernais, Auvergne, and Burgundy. This right rested upon the supposition that the whole territory originally belonged to the Seigneur, in such wise that, after the distribution of the greater part into fiefs, cencites, and other concessions of lands upon quit-rents, there still remained portions which could only be used for waste pasture-ground, and of which he might grant the temporary use to others. The blairie was established in several coutumes; but it could only be claimed by a Seigneur who was Haut Justicier, and was maintained only by some special title, or at least by old claims supported by long possession.
Péages.—According to our authors, there originally existed a prodigious number of manorial tolls upon bridges, rivers, and roads. Louis XIV. did away with a great number of them. In 1724 a commission, nominated to examine into the titles by which the tolls were claimed, suppressed twelve hundred of them; and, in 1765, they were still being constantly suppressed. ‘The principle observed in this respect,’ says Renauldon, ‘was that, inasmuch as the toll was a tax, it was necessary to be founded not only upon legal title, but upon one emanating from the sovereign.’ The toll was levied ‘De par le Roi.’ One of the conditions of the toll was that it should be established by tarif regulating the dues, which each kind of merchandise had to pay. It was necessary that this tarif should be approved by a decree of the Council. ‘The title of concession,’ says one author, ‘had to be followed by uninterrupted possession.’ In spite of these precautions legally taken, it appears that the value of the tolls had greatly increased in later times. ‘I know one toll,’ says the same author, ‘that was farmed out, a century ago, at 100 livres, and now brings in 1400; and another, farmed at 39,000 livres, that brings in 90,000.’ The principal ordinances or principal decrees that regulated the right of toll, were paragraph 29 of the Ordinance of 1669, and the Decrees of 1683, 1693, 1724, 1775.
The authors I have quoted, although in general favourable enough to feudal rights, acknowledge that great abuses were committed in the levying of the tolls.
Bacs.—The right of ferries differed materially from the right of toll. The latter was only levied upon merchandise; the former upon individuals, animals, and carriages. It was necessary that this right, in order to be exercised, should likewise be authorised by the King; and the dues, to be levied, had to be fixed by the same decree of Council that established and authorised it.
Droit de Leyde (to which many other names have been given in different places) was a tax levied upon merchandise brought to fairs and markets. Many lords of the manor (as appears by our feudistes) considered this right as one attached to the right of haute justice, and wholly manorial, but quite mistakenly, inasmuch as it could only be authorised by the King. At all events, this right only belonged to the Seigneur, who was Haut Justicier: he levied the police fines, to which the exercise of the right gave occasion. It appears, however, that, although by theory the droit de leyde could only emanate from the King, it was frequently set up solely upon the basis of feudal title or long possession.
It is very certain that fairs could not be established otherwise than by Royal authorisation.