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23. N.B. in most Accounts of the Danegeld we find large deductions made under the name of Waifs * deletion

                                                              unclear /deletion

Scutage or Escuage

This was a Duty or Service arising out of Baron or Knights Fees; for Antiently personal service attended every Tenant holding in Capite, thus the Service of a Knight was due for a Knight’s fee, half a Knights Service for half a Knights fee, and so on; the same held with regard to Baronies the King’s had also a right to the Fees of Honours, Escheats In His hands, deletion & /deletion add and /add those of His

     Wards; some Serjeantes

paid also Escuage.

This personal service was frequently commuted Into money and rated at so much per fee.

William the Norman divided England into thirty thousand Baronies or Manours, the Lords of whom were the only Freeholders in the Land, deletion &

                                   /deletion add and /add were

Stiled Barons, these again were divided into the Greater Barons called Earls, deletion & /deletion add and

                                                          /add the lesser one’s who 

were simply Barons.