yeomanry
(ˈjəʊmənrɪ)
Forms: see yeoman; also 5 yemandry, yomandrye, 6–7 yeomandrie, -dry, (7–8 -try).
[f. yeoman + -ry.]
I. 1. The body of yeomen or small landed proprietors, yeomen collectively; † a company of yeomen.
| 1375 Barbour Bruce iv. 386 Schir Iohne the Hastyngis,..With knychtis of full mekill pryde, With squyaris and gude ȝhemanry. 1477 Earl Rivers (Caxton) Dictes F iij, The nombre of his knyghtes were comonli of his retenew..were ccc .xiij. thousand wythout yomanrye and other men necessary to his warres. 1538 Starkey England (1878) 79 Yf the yeomanry of Englond were not, in tyme of warre we schold be in schrode case. 1549 Latimer 1st Serm. bef. Edw. VI (Arb.) 40 Suche procedynges..do intend plainly, to make the yeomanry slauery and the Cleargye shauery. 1607 Markham Cavel. Ded. (1617) A j, The three great Columbes of this Empire: the Nobilitie, the Gentrie, and Yeomanrie of Great Brittaine. 1692 R. Meeke Diary 2 Sept. 54 My father was born in a very mean house: my mother in a comely hall... I am a branch of Yeomanry by the father, of gentility by my mother. 1693 Humours Town 103 The Yeomandry trudge on honestly in their several Vocations. 1704 Swift T. Tub x. 184 The Clergy, and Gentry, and Yeomantry of this Land. 1837 H. Martineau Soc. Amer. III. 67 The free yeomanry, and the youth of the towns, have an eye for the right, and a heart for the true. 1868 Rogers Pol. Econ. xiii. (1876) 171 A hardy and prosperous yeomanry, who either purchased the land in parcels, or bargained to work it with their own capital. |
b. The general body of freemen of a livery company.
Obs. exc. Hist.| 1497 in J. Nicholl Comp. Ironm. (1866) 50 The yemenry of this yo{supr} worshipfull felishipe of this craffte of Iermongers. 1532 Ibid. 54 The..wardens of the yemanry of Iremongeres. 1578 in East Anglian June (1910) 275 [Provision is made for two] banketts [to friends and to the] companye of yeomanrye. 1637 Decree Star Chamb. conc. Printing §19 Euery Master-printer of the Yeomanry of the Company may haue one Apprentice. |
† 2. a. A company of yeomen or attendants.
b. The yeomen of the guard.
Obs. rare.
| 16.. Robin Hood & Beggar xxxi. in Child Ballads (1888) III. 157/2 And Robin took these brethren good To be of his yeomandrie. 1673 Marvell in Coll. Poems 254 [It is] Dishonourable to the Nation He should have any other Guards but the Yeomanry. |
3. A volunteer cavalry force in the British army, originally formed at the time of the French revolution, and consisting chiefly of men of the yeomanry class or status; first embodied in 1794 (Act 34
Geo. III, c. 31). The force has now been amalgamated with the Volunteers to form the Territorial Army (
q.v.), which has five Yeomanry units.
The full designation was
The Yeomanry Cavalry, but was subsequently (1908)
The Yeomanry. In 1899 the formation of a new corps was provided for, entitled
The Imperial Yeomanry, recruited for service in the South African War (1899–1902) from the yeomanry, the volunteers, and civilians; this title was subsequently extended to the original yeomanry, and was retained until 1908.
| 1794, 1798 [see sense 6]. c 1800 A. Young in Autobiog. (1898) 206, I sat at dinner by a gentleman of great property, captain of a troop of yeomanry. 1802 Act 42 Geo. III, c. 66 (title) An Act to enable his Majesty to avail himself of the Offers of certain Yeomanry and Volunteer Corps to continue their Services. 1828 Scott Jrnl. 18 Mar. (1891) 558, I dined at the Club of the Selkirkshire yeomanry, now disbanded. 1846 M{supc}Culloch Acc. Brit. Empire (1854) II. 139 The management of the militia, yeomanry, and other domestic forces, is regulated by various statutes. 1866 Geo. Eliot F. Holt Introd. 10 Their notion of Reform was a confused combination of rick-burners, trades-unions, Nottingham riots, and in general whatever required the calling-out of the yeomanry. 1899 Daily News 30 Dec. 8/5 No mounted corps from this country will be accepted for service in South Africa except as part of the Imperial Yeomanry. |
II. † 4. The condition of a yeoman; yeomanhood.
Obs.| c 1386 Chaucer Reeve's T. 29 For Symkyn wolde no wyf, as he sayde, But if she were wel ynorissed and a mayde, To sauen his estaat of yomanrye [v.r. yemanrye]. 1611 Cotgr., Roture, yeomanrie; the estate, condition, or calling of such as are not of gentle bloud. 1612 Drayton Poly-olb. xi. 25 They, of all England, most to ancient customes cleaue, Their Yeomanry and still endeuoured to vphold. |
† 5. Something pertaining to or characteristic of a yeoman.
a. Speech befitting a (good) yeoman, homely or honest speech.
b. Yeoman's dress.
Obs.| c 1500 Robin Hood & Potter xxiii. in Child Ballads (1888) III. 110/2 ‘Be mey trowet, thou seys soyt’, seyde Roben, ‘Thow seys god yemenrey.’ 1592 Arden of Feversham iv. ii. 38 Fran. And, sirra, as we go, let vs haue som more of your bolde yeomandry. Fer. Nay, by my troth, sir, but flat knauery. 1597 Bp. Hall Sat. iii. i, Husbanding it in workday yeomanrie. |
III. 6. attrib., as
yeomanry cavalry (
= 3),
yeomanry corps,
yeomanry cut,
yeomanry dress,
yeomanry family,
yeomanry horse,
yeomanry man,
yeomanry officer.
| 1794 in Q. L. Yeom. Cav. Worc. (1914) 5 The proposed Corps of *Yeomanry Cavalry for the County of Worcester. 1798 Act 38 Geo. III, c. 51 (title), An Act for authorizing the billetting such Troops of Yeomanry Cavalry as may be desirous of assembling for the Purpose of being trained together. 1825 M'Watt (title) Letters to Officers and Privates of the Berwickshire Yeomanry Cavalry. 1886 H. Graham (title) Annals of the Yeomanry Cavalry of Wiltshire, a History of the Prince of Wales' Own Royal Regiment. |
| c 1800 A. Young in Autobiog. (1898) 206 The undisputed origin of all the *yeomanry corps in the kingdom. |
| 1816 Scott Bl. Dwarf i, With a saddle of the *yeomanry cut, and a double-bitted military bridle. |
| 1877 Mrs. Forrester Mignon xviii, How handsome he looks in his *yeomanry dress. |
| 1868 Chamb. Encycl. X. 315/2 The horses employed on *yeomanry duty. |
| 1885 J. Gillow Lit. & Biog. Hist. Eng. Cath. II. 47 The Dennetts, a Lancashire *yeomanry family. |
| 1833 Gen. P. Thompson Exerc. (1842) II. 426 The landlords..have martial law in their view before they will give up the Corn Laws; they fat their *yeomanry horses for that very chase. |
| 1884 Jefferies Life of Fields 132 There are *yeomanry-men still living who remember how they rode about at night after the rioters. |
| 1902 V. Jacob Sheep-Stealers ix, The *yeomanry officer who had been present at the riot. |