426 LANYHORN CASTLE. 



In 1306 Thomas de Lerchedekne petitions Parliament that 

 his lands may be restored to him which had been taken into the 

 King's hands by his default of service against the Scots, alleging 

 that neither he nor his ancestors had ever before yielded such 

 service. 



It may be well to point out here the tenure on which land 

 was held in feudal times. 



The land at the Conquest, was apportioned to the various 

 Norman knights, who joined William Duke of Normandy on his 

 victorious expedition ; and with the manors so allotted, was 

 imposed the duty of furnishing a certain number of knights in 

 time of war. 



All these manors and lands were held of the king " in 

 capite " by two kinds of service. 



Firstly, Tenants per Baronium ; these constituted the great 

 Barons of England, Barons by tenure, who were bound to attend 

 the great Councils of the realm. Their total number being 

 estimated at about two hundred and fifty. 



Secondly, Tenants " in capite," by knights service ; this class 

 was lower than the preceding and is supposed to have numbered 

 about seven hundred and fifty. 



" The whole feudal system was rooted in the land, and held 

 on to it like a forest. To have so much land was to be a Baron, 

 to be a Baron was to be liable to furnish so many Knights, 

 to be a Knight was to hold land perhaps of the King, perhaps 

 of a great Baron," 



The land held by a knight was called a knight's fee, of 

 which there were about sixty thousand ; in general terms it may 

 be stated as being so much land as was sufficient to maintain 

 the knight and his retinue, and approximately it varied between 

 one and five hundred acres. 



When an Earl or Baron held "per baronium," a large 

 number of knights held knights' fees under him, by the service 

 of joining his standard when required in time of war; by this 

 means, the raising and maintaining of an army was rendered 

 easy, and the land carried with it certain obligations, which had 

 to be discharged by its owners. 



