297 
Accounts of the City Train Bands. By the Rev. C. W. SHICKLE, 
. FSA, 
(Read January 13th, 1904.) 
Under King Alfred all owners of five hides of land were bound 
_ to appear as heavy armed men at their own charge, and to serve 
_ for the entire campaign. Harold’s army only fought on foot 
because the Knights descended from their horses and surrounded 
_ themselves with a ring of staves, as was afterwards the custom of 
_ the hoblers, or mounted archers. 
_ Holingshead, in his “ History of England,” tells us that in the 
_ reign of Henry II. “every man that held a Knight’s fee was bound 
‘to have a paire of curasses, a helmet, with shield and spear, and 
every Knight, or man of arms, to have as many curasses, helmets, 
shield, and spears, as he held Knight fees in demaine, and every 
man of the laitie having goods or revenue to the value of 16 
‘marks, to have one paire of curasses, an helmet, and spear, and 
_a shield.” 
__ Every free man of the laity having goods in value worth 10 
marks was obliged to have “a Habergeon, a steele cap and a 
; spear, and all burgesses and the whole community of free men to 
have a wambais, a cap of steele, and a spear.” 
It was also required that ‘“‘ every man be sworne to have the 
same before the feast of St. Hilary, no man to sell or pledge such 
armour, nor was it to be liable to be forfeitied, and if the heir 
were not of lawful age then his guardian was to have care of the 
armour and paid a man to wear it till he came of age.” 
a In very early days the practice of accepting money in lieu of 
personal service crept in, and enabled the Norman Kings to fight 
