FYRD, the name given to the English militia during the Anglo-Saxon period (see ARMY). In early times the ealdor man of the shire was probably charged with the duty of calling out and leading the fyrd, which appears always to have retained a local character, as during the time of the Danish invasions we read of the fyrd of Kent, of Somerset and of Devon. It is prob able that originally all free landholders were required to attend the fyrd, and exemption from this duty was only very sparingly granted. The fyrd was gradually superseded by the gathering of the thegns and their retainers, but it was occasionally called out for defensive purposes even after the Norman Conquest.