GAINAGE, GAINAGIUM, in our ancient writers, signifies the draught-oxen, horses, wain, plough, and furniture, for carrying on the work of tillage by the baser sort of folkmen and villains.
Gainage is the same with what is otherwise called wainage. Bracton, lib. i. cap. 9. speaking of lords and servants, says, Ut si eos deserviant, quod saluum non possit esse wainagium suum. And again, lib. iii. tract. 2.
Plate CCV.
Fig. 2 Bucket Sea Gage.
Fig. 1. Sea Gage.
Fig. 4. Wind Gage.
Fig. 3. Aquo mercurial, Gage.
N. 2.
Fig. 5.
Fig. 6.
Four-foot Gauging Rod
A. Bell. Prin. Water. Sulphur. fort.
Gainage cap. 1. Villanus non emerebiatur, nisi salvo emargino suo. For anciently, as it appears both by Magna Charta and other books, the villan, when amerced, had his gainage or wainage free; to the end his plough might not stand still; and the law, for the same reason, does still allow a like privilege to the husbandman; that is, his draught-horses are not in many cases drainable.