Tonnage and poundage to be one of the complaints of his Long Parliament. The refusal of and subsequent disputes about tonnage and poundage rights is seen as one of the many events bearing responsibility for the English Civil War. Tonnage and poundage Tonnage and Poundage were certain duties and taxes first levied in Edward II's reign on every tun (cask) of imported wine, which came mostly from Spain and Portugal, and on every pound weight of merchandise exported or imported. Traditionally tonnage and poundage was granted by Parliament to the king for life until the reign of Charles I. Tonnage and poundage were
Tonnage of freight passing over a railway line or road. The tonnage may be expressed in short tons (2,000 lb), metric tons or tonnes (1,000 kg), or in long tons (2,240 lb). Often this distinction is not of any importance, however sometimes it is critical to define the exact units in which the tonnage is expressed. Historically, tonnage was the tax on "tuns" (casks) of wine that held 954 litres (252 gallons) of wine and weighed 1016 kilograms (2,240 pounds). This suggests that the unit of weight measurement, the long ton (1,016 kg or 2,240 lb), and tonnage share the same