View source for Customs

== Customs (law)==
Many areas in [[Europe]] had their own habitual behaviours and expectations of each other. However, to be a source of natural [[law]], a local '''custom''' had to meet certain criteria.  

It had to be
* clear, certain, and consistent
* reasonable
* obligatory and exercised as of right
* geographically local
* in conformity with any applicable [[statute]]s (otherwise these overrode the custom)
* continuously held since "time immemorial"

'''Time immemorial''', ''per se'', meant a time antedating any legal history.  However, for clarity, this was taken by reference to a particular voyage of the [[King]] of [[England]] to [[France]].  In 1275/6, again to avoid complication, this was finally fixed to have been at the beginning of the reign of [[Richard I]] in 1189.

This had the additional effect that a claimed custom could thereafter be defeated simply by showing that its exercise would hve been impossible at that time -- for example a claimed customary right of grazing on land which, on enquiry, proved to have been underwater at or since 1189.

== Customs (tax)==
A '''custom''' is a levy or duty applied on something. 

Quoting from Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
:[A custom is] a [[tax]] imposed by the [[Roman]]s. The [[tax collector|tax-gatherers]] were
:termed publicans (q.v.), who had their stations at the gates of cities,
:and in the public highways, and at the place set apart for that
:purpose, called the "receipt of custom" (Matt.9: 9; Mark 2:14),
:where they collected the [[money]] that was to be paid on certain
:goods (Matt.17:25). These publicans were tempted to exact more
:from the people than was lawful, and were, in consequence of
:their extortions, objects of great hatred. The Pharisees would
:have no intercourse with them (Matt.5:46, 47; 9:10, 11).
   
:A [[tax]] or tribute (q.v.) of half a shekel was annually paid by
:every adult [[Jew]] for the temple. It had to be paid in Jewish [[coin]]
:(Matt. 22:17-19; Mark 12:14, 15). Money-changers (q.v.) were
:necessary, to enable the Jews who came up to [[Jerusalem]] at the
:[[feast]]s to exchange their foreign coin for Jewish money; but as
:it was forbidden by the law to carry on such a traffic for
:emolument (Deut. 23:19, 20), our Lord drove them from the temple
:(Matt. 21:12: Mark 11:15).

Modern customs are an important consideration when purchasing itemd from overseas. In [[Australia]] customs require special clearances etc when the value of your goods exceeds $1000AUD (including postage costs). In addition they will charge you a duty, on top of which they will place an additional [[tax]] on the entire amount (a tax on a tax).

== SCA customs ==
The [[SCA]] has various customary behaviours that are not always explicitly written into [[laws|law]], and virtually all of which are subject to [[InterKingdom Anthropology]].
=== Customs ===
*Wearing [[garb]]
*[[Tradition]]s

=== Manners ===
*[[Medieval etiquette|Period manners]]
*[[Addressing Royalty]]
*[[the difference]] between lack of manners and not knowing polite manners
*[[Real weapons in the SCA]]

=== Duty ===
*[[duty to god]]
*[[duty to the crown]]
*being a [[squire]]
[[category:SCAism]]
[[category:etiquette]]