Knight's Service

Noun
1. land tenure by service to the lord as a knight
(hypernym) service

Eng. law. It was a tenure of lands. Those who held by knight's service were called: milites qui per loricas terras suas defendunt; soldiers who defend the country by their armor. The incidents of knight's service were homage, fealty, warranty, wardship, marriage, reliefs, heriots, aids, escheats, and forfeiture.
   

This entry contains material from Bouvier's Legal Dictionary, a work published in the 1850's.