Alnage, or aulnage (from Old French aune, ell; parallel to "yardage") was the official supervision of the shape and quality of manufactured woolen cloth.
The alnage was first ordered in 1196, during the reign of Richard I, that "woollen cloths, wherever they are made, shall be of the same width, to wit, of two ells within the lists, and of the same goodness in the middle and sides.
Article 35 of Magna Carta re-enacted the Assize of Cloth, and in the reign of Edward I an official called an "alnager" or "aulnager" was appointed to enforce it.
The increased growth of the woolen trade, and the introduction of new and lighter drapery in the reign of Elizabeth I, compelled a revision of the old standards.
The object of the statute was to prevent people being deceived by buying spurious woolen cloth, and to provide against fraud and imposition.