castle-guard
Also 6–7 -gard(e.
1. The guard of a castle.
2. Feudal Syst. A kind of knight-service, whereby a feudal tenant was bound, when required, to defend the lord's castle; the tenure of such service.
| 1576 Lambarde Peramb. Kent (1826) 140 The service of Castlegarde [at Dover]..was with the assent of King Henrie the third converted into a paiment of money. 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. i. 345 Lands in Kent..to be held in Castle-gard. 1628 Coke On Litt. 87 a, The tenant ought by himselfe or by another to doe Castle-gard. 1700 Tyrrell Hist. Eng. II. 815 No Constable shall distrein any Knight to give Money for Castle-Guard, if he will perform it in his own Person. a 1779 Ld. Lyttelton (T.) One species of knight-service was castle-guard. |
3. A tax originally in commutation of this service; also the territory chargeable therewith.
| 1576 Lambarde Peramb. Kent (1826) 140. 1641 Termes de la Ley 48 Castlegard is an imposition layd upon such..as dwell within a certain compasse of any Castle, to the maintenance of such as watch and ward the Castle. It is sometimes vsed for the circuit itselfe, which is inhabited by such as are subject to this seruice. 1888 Archæol. Rev. I. 57 In Pevensey Rape much of the land round the Castle was wardable, i.e. paid Castle-guard or Castle-ward. |
| attrib. 1704 Worlidge Dict. Rust. et Urb., Castle-guard-rents; are Rents paid by those that dwell within the Precincts of any Castle, towards the Maintenance of such as Watch and Ward the same. 1888 Archæol. Rev. I. 57 A large number of manors in Hastings Rape were held by Castle-guard tenure. The Earl of Chichester, as owner of Hastings Castle, still receives Castle-guard rents in the Hundreds of Baldslow, etc. |