Ordinance of the bailiff of Dieppe on fees payable to the Archbishop of Rouen for crossing the Channel

 

This ordinance was issued by Joseph Boullenc, bailiff of Dieppe, at the request of the representative of the Archbishop of Rouen. In his capacity as the local lord, he charged fees on all passengers, goods and luggage travelling by sea to England. These controversial customary payments had been set in a tariff schedule drawn up in 1695, a year after the town had been bombed by the Anglo-Dutch fleet. All passengers were required to obtain a licence confirming that they had paid the fee, and the ship’s captain was responsible for unpaid fees. There would be no regular passenger service to England until 1774.