I should be very sorry to be thought to insinuate that nobody has tackled this question already. A mass of information has been put together in the V.C.H. volumes. But the facts are isolated, entered in the special articles upon each special village, not grouped and explained in relation to the general idea of Knight-service as a system prevailing throughout England. Moreover, a bare enumeration of this kind makes no allowance for the important change in the method of assessing a fief which came in during the 13th century. Therefore it has seemed to me that an article descriptive of the system, illustrated by Bedfordshire instances, would not be out of place in a publication which is primarily devoted to “records,” for the value of a record depends on the use made of it.

Feudalism was beginning to take root in England before the Norman Conquest. But the special institution which most people have in their minds when thinking of the feudal system, namely servitium militare or “ Knightservice,” is entirely Norman. It was imported direct from the duchy, and not only did a constant tradition refer the original conception to William I himself, but also it would be impossible to decide who imported it if he did not. In a few words, the Conqueror apportioned lands in England to his followers, French or Breton or Fleming adventurers as well as Normans, on condition that they raised at his call a certain number of horsemen ; they were to equip and mount the men at their own expense, and it would seem that originally there was no system as to how they should raise them from among their sub-tenants; that was their concern and not the King’s. Their unpaid services were not required for more than forty days in a year.

Domesday Book tells us nothing directly about Knight-service; it was a register of land-tenure, so that the King might know how much danegeld he might expect to receive when he imposed it. Knight-service had no relation to danegeld, which was a land-tax. But indirectly we do learn what was the status of the ordinary knight or “miles” in 1066.