;
of an earl about eight horses, four saddled and four unsaddled,
eight lances, four coats of mail, four swords, and 500s.
There were several thousand thegns, rich and poor, who held land
directly of the King. Some thegns had soken or jurisdiction over
their own lands and others did not. Free farmers who had sought
protection from thegns in time of war now took them as their
lords. A freeman could chose his lord, following him in war and
working his land in peace. All able-bodied freemen were liable to
military service in the fyrd [national militia], but not in a
lord's private wars. In return, the lord would protect him against
encroaching neighbors, back him in the courts of law, and feed him
in times of famine. But often, lords raided each other's farmers,
who fled into the hills or woods for safety. Often a lord's
fighting men stayed with him at his large house, but later were
given land with inhabitants on it, who became his tenants. The
lords were the ruling class and the greatest of them sat in the
King's council along with bishops, abbots, and officers of the
King's household. The lesser lords were local magnates, who
officiated at the shire and hundred courts.
Stag-hunting, fox-hunting, and hawking were reserved for lords who
did not work with their hands. Every free born person had the
right to hunt other game.
There was a great expansion of arable land.
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