Definition

Noun: - A tax historically levied in England: "Ship money" refers to a specific type of tax or impost historically imposed, typically on coastal towns and later more broadly, to raise funds for the Royal Navy and national maritime defense.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • King Charles I's attempt to collect ship money from inland counties was highly controversial.
  • The levy of ship money was intended to finance the building and maintenance of warships.

Advanced Usage

• Historical Context: The term is almost exclusively used in a historical context, referring to a specific tax in 17th-century England. Its extension to inland areas by Charles I without Parliamentary consent was a major grievance leading to the English Civil Wars.
  • The legality of extending ship money was challenged in the courts, most famously in the case of R v Hampden.

Variants and Related Words

• Ship-money: A common hyphenated variant of the noun.
• Impost (n): A tax, particularly a duty on imports.
• Levy (n/v): The act of imposing or collecting a tax; the tax itself.

Synonyms

• Naval tax: A tax for naval purposes.
• Maritime levy: A charge raised for sea-related defense.

Related Phrases

• To levy ship money: The act of imposing this specific tax.
  • The monarch sought to levy ship money annually.

Noun

1. an impost levied in England to provide money for ships for national defense