escuage Feudal Law. Obs. exc. Hist.
(ˈɛskjuːɪdʒ)
[a. AF. escuage, f. OF. escu (mod.F. écu):—L. scūtum shield. Cf. scutage.]
† 1. The chief form of feudal tenure (lit. shield-service), personal service in the field for a period of forty days in each year. Obs.
| 1513 Bradshaw St. Werburge ii. 1773 Many helde their landes..with seruice de chiualere and some by escuage. 1592 W. Wyrley Armorie 19 Euery tenant that held lands by a knights fee was tied to do his Lord escuage or shield seruice. 1695 Temple Hist. Eng. (1699) 171 Those Authors..pretend this Duty of Escuage..to have come over in this Reign. 1766 Blackstone Comm. ii. v. 74 This kind of tenure was called scutagium in Latin..or servitium scuti..in our Norman French escuage. |
b. transf.
| 1605 Sylvester Du Bartas ii. ii. iii. (1605–7) I. 454 Our Grand-sires..euen in Age Could render duly Venus Escuage. 1623 Cockeram, Venus-escuage, wanton fleshlinesse. |
2. A money payment in lieu of military service; = scutage.
| 1577–87 Holinshed Chron. an. 1214. 184/1 The king demanded escuage of them that refused to go with him into Poictow. 1641 W. Hakewill Libertie of the Subject 17 Every man that by his tenure is bound to serve the King in his warres, and faileth, is to pay..a fine by the name of Escuage. 1679 Blount Anc. Tenures 95 When escuage is assessed throughout the land..the said Sir Philip shall pay, etc. 1738 Hist. Crt. Excheq. ii. 23 The Baron appearing in the Host had Escuage on his own Tenants that made Default. |