KNIGHT OF THE SIIIItE is the designation given to the repre sentatives in parliament of English counties, as distinguished from such cities and towns as are counties of themselves (which are seldom, if ever, called shirty), and the representatives of which, as well as the members for other cities and towns, are denominated citizens or burgesses. Though the knights of the shire always sat with the citizens and burgesees as jointly representing the third estate of the realm, as well during the time that the three estates, viz. the spiritualty, the lords temporal, and the commons, sat together, as since, we find that grant/ were occasionally made by the knights to be levied on the counties, whilst separate grants were made by the citizens and burgesses to be levied upon the cities and boroughs. (' Rot. l'arL') The wages payable to knights of the shire for their attendance in parliament, including a reasonable time for their going up and coming down, were four shillings a day, being double what was received by citizens and bummer*. At the close of every session the king, in dismissing them to their homes, Informed them that they might sue out writs for their wages, upon which eacli knight separately obtained a writ out of Chancery directed to the sheriff mentioning tho number of days and the sum to be paid, and commanding the sheriff to levy the amount. Upon this the sheriff. in a public county court, divided the burden amongst the different hundreds and townships, and issued process to levy the amount, which, to the extent of the money levied, he paid over to the knight. The lands of the clergy, is well regular A3 secular, were exempted from contributing towards these expenses, because the clergy formed a distinct estate, and were represented in parliament by their prelates and the procuratores decd, although the latter were, as Leal Coke expressos it, voiceless assistants only. All hay fees within the county were liable to contribute, except lands belonging to the lords and their teen. The lords insisted that this exemption extended to every freeholder who held land within their baronies, seigniories, or manors, alleging that they served in parliament at their own expense fur themselves and their tenants. And such was undoubtedly the practice; as b7 the Parliament Roll it appears that the commons fre quently petitioned that the exemption should be confined to such lamb as the lords kept in their own hands and occupied by their farmers or by their burxl-tenants, or villeins. These request:a however
were wet either by a simple refusal or by a statement by the king that be did not mean to lateen the liberties of the lords. If however a lord purchased land which had previously been contributory to the knight's wages, the liability continued. Freehold lands, held either by knight's service or In common aucage, were liable to this burden, but custom. any tenures in :trident demonic, and tenurfs in burgage were exempt. In the county of Kent no aoengo land was contributable, the whole burden being thrown upon those who held knight's fees, an anomaly against which the common/ preferred many ineffectual petitions. Knights of the share, and also their choosers, wore formerly required to be persoos either reiblent or having a household in the county. This min, /Won, though confirmed by several statutes, bard fallen into neglect keg before it was formally abrogated in both its branches by 11 George Ill., a St (' Rot. Park') As to the qualiflestIona of electors, and the disqualifications from sitting as of the shire, am PARLIAMENT.
FEE was land of sufficient extent and value to support the dignity of • knight, granted by the king, or some inferior lord, upon the condition that the grantee and his heirs should either perfortn the service of a knight to the grantor and hbt heirs, or find seine other periou to do inch aerrice. The quantity of land capable of supporting a knight naturally varied according to Its quality and situation ; and ergo the amount of income sufficient to inset the charges of a knight would fluctuate amending to time and place. It is net therefore surprising that we Hal a knight's fee 'mantles described as consisting of 800 acres, sometimes of 680 ; sometimes estimated at 15/. some• times at 201., and in later times at 401. per annum. If the owner of a knight's foe deprived himself of the possession of part of his land by subinfeudation he remained liable to the feudal burden attached to the tenure of the whole.