Butlerage

Butlerage, an ancient hereditary duty belonging to the Crown, much older than the customs. It was a right of taking two tuns of wine from every ship importing into England twenty tuns or more, and by King Edward I. was exchanged into a duty of 2s. for every tun imported by merchant strangers. It was called butlerage, because paid to the king's butler; and also prisage, because it was a taking or purveyance of wine to the king's use, 4 Inst. 30.