ENGLISH MARKETS AND FAIRS. 55 



the least, in many cases rather obscure, it is not to be 

 wondered at that instances are discoverable where the 

 powers exercised exceed the limits laid down by charter 

 or statute. The most frequent instance of this tendency 

 is to charge tolls on other days than those authorised. 

 Thus, for example, at Bridgwater, the market is authorised 

 by Act of Parliament for three days in the week, but tolls 

 are — or were in 1888 — taken every day. In Ireland, 

 the Royal Commission reported that in many cases the 

 market charges are " wholly unauthorised," but they 

 observed that it would be somewhat hazardous, in the 

 face of the enormous number of grants, to say with regard 

 to any town of importance that a market had not been 

 sanctioned for every day of the week except Sunday. 

 In some cases two or three different charges appear to 

 be imposed on the same commodity. Thus, at Carlisle, 

 butter purchased in the market by a trader whose shop 

 was in the suburbs paid four tolls, viz., (1) the in-gate 

 toll, (2) the market toll, (3) a packing toll, and (4) the 

 out-gate toll. At Dorchester an instance was given, at 

 a public inquiry held there, in which five separate tolls, 

 amounting to 2s. 2d., had been paid on one load of fish. 

 Naturally, these reiterated charges give rise to much 

 complaint — not always because their gross amount is 

 excessive, but because of the annoyance and trouble 

 which they occasion. A good many markets existed, 

 no doubt, where, with a cheerful indifference to any Act 

 of Parliament, the authorities had not published a list 

 of tolls, and in some cases, indeed, had not even fixed 

 them, the collector being allowed practically to follow 

 the principle laid down by railway managers, and to 

 " charge what the traffic will bear." The visits of the 

 Assistant Commissioners, no doubt, did much to call the 

 attention of market authorities to their liabilities and 

 duties. A characteristic incident was reported from 

 Ireland. For many years, at a place called Gart, no toll 

 board had been exposed on market and fair days, 



