lord (S136).

In case of an orphan heiress not of age, the feudal lord became her
guardian and might select a suitable husband for her. Should the
heiress reject the person selected, she forfeited a sum of money equal
to the amount the lord expected to receive by the proposed marriage.
Thus we find one woman in Ipswich giving a large fee for the privilege
of "not being married except to her own good liking." In the
collection of these "aids" and "reliefs," great extortion was often
practiced both by the King and the barons.

Besides the feudal troops there was a national militia, consisting of
peasants and others not provided with armor, who fought on foot with
bows and spears. These could also be called on as during the Saxon
period (S96). In some cases where the barons were in revolt against
the King, for instance, under William Rufus (S130), this national
militia proved of immense service to the Crown.

The great landholders let out part of their estates to tenants on
similar terms to those on which they held their own, and in this way
the entire country was divided up. The lowest class of tenants were
the common agricultural laborers called villeins,--a name derived from
the Latin villa, meaning a country house or farm. These villeins, or
serfs, held small pieces of land on condition of performing labor for
it. They were bound to the soil and could be sold with it, but not,
like slaves, apart from it. They were not wholly destitute of legal
rights.

Under William I and his successors, all free tenants, of whatever
grade, were bound to uphold the King,[2] and in case of insurrection