Knight's Service

Upon the Norman conquest, all the lands in England were divided into knight's fees, in number above sixty thousand; and for every knight's fee a knight was bound to attend the king in his wars forty days in a year, in which space of time, before war was reduced to a science, a campaign was generally finished. If a man only held half a knight's fee, he was only bound to attend twenty days; and so in proportion. But this personal service, in process of time, grew into pecuniary commutations, or aids, until at last, with the military part of the feudal system, it was abolished at the restoration, by St. 12 Car. II. c. 24, 1 Bl. Comm. 410; 2 Bl. Comm. 62.

Upon the Norman conquest, all the lands in England were divided into knight’s fees, in number above sixty thousand; and for every knight’s fee, a knight was bound to attend the king in his wars forty days in a year, in which space of time a campaign was generally finished. was “only bound to attend twenty days; and so in proportion. But this personal service, in process of time, grew Into pecuniary commutations, or aids; until at last, with the military part of the feudal system, it was abolished at the restoration, by the statute of 12 Car. II. c. 24. 1 Bla. Com. 410; 2 id. 62; Will. Real. Pr. 144; 1 Poll. & Haiti. 230.