Ship-money

A tax imposed by the British Crown upon seaports and trading towns which compelled them to provide and furnish warships to combat piracy or to pay money for that purpose. It was first levied about 1007 to form a navy to oppose the Danes, but appears after this to have fallen into disuse.

Although forbidden by the Petition of Right in 1628, it was levied by Charles I between 1634 and 1638 without the consent of Parliament and was extended to inland shires and towns. In 1637 John Hampden refused to pay ship-money and, in a test case before the Exchequer of Pleas, 7 out of 12 judges decided that Charles was entitled to levy the tax. It was a source of great discontent in the pre-Civil War period and was abolished in 1641 by the Long Parliament.

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