A toll or fee paid for the right to use a cart or carriage, especially on roads or through markets; the charge for carting goods.
From 'carl' (cart or peasant) plus the suffix '-age' (indicating a charge, fee, or action). Relates to medieval commerce where tolls were collected for using roads or market spaces with vehicles.
Medieval merchants had to pay 'carlage' to move goods through towns—essentially an ancient toll booth tax system that funded roads, and knowing the exact fees was as important to a trader as GPS is today!
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