42Ô
GLOSSARY
CastMeria: a contribution Originallyexacted from travellers, shepherds,
and others using the highways, for the maintenance of the castle-fortresses
along the Moorish frontier. It was common as early as the ninth century.
Llorente, ii, p. 147; Lopez de Ayala, p. 130.
Cercanfa: a fine levied by towns upon flocks in the vicinity of (cerca de)
recently damaged crops. Arch. Mesta, U-r, Übeda, 1584; Quad. 1731,
pt. i, p. 186 (r563).
Chapitel: a royal, and sometimes local, tax levied in Navarre on the
trade in supplies for transients. See above, p. ɪ 58, n. 3.
Cordel: a sheep walk about half as wide as a canada, i. e., 130 feet in-
stead of 250. In the eighteenth century the name, like that of the larger
sheep highways, was applied to local tolls levied on flocks using the cordeles.
Nov. Recop., lib. 7, tit. 27, ley ιι.
Cuchara: originally a small measure of weight used in levying a tax
in kind on grain, whence the term came to be used to designate the tax
itself. The supplies carried by the migrants were frequently subject to this
impost. Uref1a and Bonilla, pp. 140, 271.
Cuevas: a local tax on migrants seeking shelter in neighboring caves.
Arch. Mesta, A-6, Almagro, x570, 1593.
Estanco, estanque: this term occurs in Mesta documents for the first
time about 1525, when it meant a ferry toll, levied under a license or conces-
sion from a neighboring town. By 1636 it came to be applied to various
concessions and monopolies which yielded royal revenues; cf. the estanco
de tdbacos.
FIorines: a common sheep tax of the later Middle Ages, which was levied
originally in florins. Arch. Mesta, Prov. iv, 26.
Fonsadera: originally a penalty, levied usually by the crown, sometimes
by the towns, upon those not participating in a military enterprise (Jonsado) ;
later, a regular war tax. Munoz y Romero, pp. 156-157; Llorente, ii, p.
154; Berganza, ii, pp. 56, 689; Saez, Monedas de Enrique III, pp. 385-396;
DozyandEngelmann,pp. 192-193; Urena and Bonilla, p. 284; Colmeiro1 i,
pp. 466-467; Lopez de Ayala, p. 137.
Guarda: a fee for the maintenance of rural police for the guarding of
flocks awaiting assessment. Arch. Mesta, Prov. iv, 26 (1758).
Herrage, herbage, herbâtico: a tax paid by towns for the use of crown
pasturage, demesnes, etc.; occasionally a local tax collected from those
using the public lands. Llorente, ii, p. 159; Borao, p. 254.
Hollazgo: a fine assessed by Siruela, Barco de Avila, and neighboring
villages upon flocks which trespassed (hollar) upon certain town lands.
Arch. Mesta, Derechos, 1828.
Infurcion: a contribution paid in recognition of lordship over the soil.
Sometimes the term was applied to payments for the right of the Solariego
(villein) to own flocks and herds, or more rarely for exemption from military
service.
Luctuosa: see Nuncio.
Luria: see Barcaje.
Maneria: the king’s or lord’s share (frequently the whole) of an estate
for which there were no immediate heirs. Certain southern towns in the
GLOSSARY
427
pasturage regions secured the right to collect this tax and applied it severely
upon the flocks of any herdsman who died while on his migrations. Saez,
Monedas de Enrique III, pp. 382-385; Berganza, ii, pp. 422, 690; Yanguas,
ii, p. 602 ; Munoz y Romero, pp. 158 ff.
Martiniega: a tribute paid on St, Martin’s Day in November by vassals
to lords in recognition of their vassalage; cf. infurci6n, which it resembled.
Saez, Monedas de Enrique III, pp. 380-381 (documents of the towns of
Pancorvo and Nâjera, 1277 ff.); Colmeiro, i, p. 467; Lopez de Ayala, pp.
221-222; Canga Arguelles, pal. marliniega.
Mascondos: see Moharrache.
Merchaniegos: animals intended for sale in the town markets, and sub-
ject, therefore, to portaagos and other local taxes. The name was first used
in the time of Ferdinand and Isabella; and it was later applied not only
to animals to be sold, but also to the taxes levied upon them (see pp.
43-45)∙
Moharrache, momarrache: originally a masker or a masquerading party.
It was the custom for the moharraches to appropriate fowls or lambs for
festive purposes. Mesta members especially suffered from this practice
because Christmas, Easter, and other great feast days found them far from
their northern homes. They came to apply the name of the merrymakers
to the contributions which the latter exacted. Mascondos had a similar
significance, as did also rey pɑjaro. The latter term was originally applied
to the leader of certain costumed Christmas roysterers of Plasencia and
other Estremaduran cities, and later, like moharrache, it was used to indicate
the gifts from the shepherds to the revellers. Arch. Mesta, A-ι, Abenoja,
1496; Dozy and Engelmann, pp. 308-309; Covarrubias, pal. momarrache.
Montanera, montado: see above, p. 163, n. 2.
Nuncio (also called Iuctuosa) : the lord’s right to select the best animal
of the flock of a deceased vassal. Munoz y Romero, p. 158; Saez, Monedas
de Enrique III, pp. 398-415.
Otura: a contribution for the privilege of purchasing animals without
knowing the owner of the property purchased; this was in effect a license
for trade in stolen property. Llorente, ii, p. 170; Urena and Bonilla, p. 302.
In Navarre the sale of sheep and goats was forbidden unless the rightful
owner was present. Alonso, Recopilaciin y Comentarios de Ios Fueros y
Leyes de Nauarra (Madrid, 1848, 2 vols.), ii, p. 353; Nov. Recop. Leyes
Navarra (Pamplona, 1735, 2 vols.), lib. ι, tit. 20, ley 21.
Pasaje: see Peage.
Pata hendida: a tax on swine, sheep, and other cloven footed (hence the
name) animals, levied in Burgos and vicinity. See p. 277, n.
Peage, pasaje, paso: a local and occasionally a royal tax collected from
flocks, nominally for the use of the highways. Llorente, ii, pp. x70-171.
Pontaje, pontazgo: a bridge toll. Cf. Nov. Recop. Leyes Navarra, lib. 5,
tit. 5. Arch. Mesta, Prov. iv, 26, shows 35 pontazgos being levied on mi-
gratory sheep in Castile in 1758.
Poyos, poyas: a tax paid by strangers, especially itinerant herdsmen and
peddlers, for the use of town ovens. Communal bake ovens were and are
prevalent in rural districts of Spain and Spanish America. Borao, p. 308.