frankpledge

[ frangk-plej ]

/ ˈfræŋkˌplɛdʒ /

noun Old English Law.

a system of dividing a community into tithings or groups of ten men, each member of which was responsible for the conduct of the other members of his group and for the assurance that a member charged with a breach of the law would be produced at court.

a member of a tithing.

the tithing itself.

Words nearby frankpledge

franklinia, franklinite, frankly, frankness, franko, frankpledge, franks peak, franky, frannie, franseria, frantic

Origin of frankpledge

1250–1300; Middle English fra(u)nkplegge < Anglo-French frauncplege. See frank¹, pledge

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for frankpledge

The system of frankpledge prevailed in some English boroughs.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 1 "Franciscans" to "French Language"|Various
Mr. Gammon swore by Frankpledge, who had been at school with him, and was a "rising man."
Ten Thousand a-Year. Volume 1.|Samuel Warren
The servants of the Crown were not, as now, bound in frankpledge for each other.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.|Thomas Babington Macaulay
But the history of the frankpledge proper begins not earlier than the time of the Norman Conquest.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 1 "Franciscans" to "French Language"|Various

The machinery of the frankpledge was probably used by Henry II.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 1 "Franciscans" to "French Language"|Various

British Dictionary definitions for frankpledge

frankpledge

/ (ˈfræŋkˌplɛdʒ) /

noun (in medieval England)

the corporate responsibility of members of a tithing for the good behaviour of each other

a member of a tithing

a tithing itself

Word Origin for frankpledge

C15: via Anglo-French from Old French franc free (see frank) + plege pledge

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012