Fyrd Law and Legal Definition
The Fyrd refers to the general militia composed of all able-bodied men. At times of emergency,fyrd was called out only in districts actually threatened with attack. The term of service in the fyrd was usually of short duration and the participants legally were obligated to provide their own arms and provisions in accordance with their socioeconomic standings. The duties of fyrd, a people’s militia was to defend against invasion, to suppress insurrections, and to perform citizens’ arrests.
