Note 248 — Chapter VIII

By old, and probably universal, custom, every freeman was bound to attend the “hosting across the frontier” once every year in arms. By Charlemagne’s law, all holders of benefices were bound by their tenure of military service to come, and all Frank-allodial proprietors of three, four, or five mansi (or hydes); every proprietor of an amount less than three mansi combining with others, so that the lowest on the list, the proprietor of half a mansus, in conjunction with five others (i.e., making up three mansi) equipped one of their number for the army. The equivalents of this latter class amongst the English seem to have formed the gemeinred or yeomanry. A less numerous, but a better armed, and probably a more orderly body of men, would be furnished by the Imperial law than by the older custom, which was preserved in Scotland under the name of Scotticanum servitium, sometimes known as forinsecum servitium (Reg. Morav. Cart. Orig. 13), the Sluagh or “hosting beyond the frontier.” The muster of the Highland clan in later times, including “Native men” as well as “Duine Uasal,” answered to the old Sluagh. The expressions Inware, and Utware, are sometimes used, the former answering, apparently, to the Welsh “Llwyd yn Wlad,” or hosting within the borders; the latter to the “Llwyd yn Orwlad,” or hosting beyond the borders. It may be gathered from Reg. Morav. Cart. Orig. 17, that “Scottish service” was rendered on foot and without defensive armour. “Non habemus jus habendi aliquod servitium de domino Willelmo de Moravia nisi forinsecum servitium Scotticanum domini regis ... et secursum ac auxilium quod nobis in defensione regni per potenciam suam armigerorum et equorum et armorum fecit ex libera voluntate sua.” The Thane of Tullibardine had assisted his lord, the Earl of Strathearn, with men-at-arms, horses, and armour, which he was not bound to do in return for his Thanedom, held by Scottish service alone. The arms required for Scottish service were probably those with which the Clans Hay and Qwhele fought on the North Inch (Reg. Morav., p. 382), bows, axes, swords, and daggers, with the addition of the long Scottish spear. The arms of the native Irish in the days of Cambrensis appear to have been a spear, two javelins (resembling the old German framea), and a formidable battle-axe introduced by the Northmen. They gloried in fighting without defensive armour, like Earl Malise.