Yeomanry

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Yeomanry \Yeo"man*ry\, n.
     1. The position or rank of a yeoman. [Obs.] "His estate of
        yeomanry." --Chaucer.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. The collective body of yeomen, or freeholders.


        [1913 Webster]
  
              The enfranchised yeomanry began to feel an instinct
              for dominion.                         --Bancroft.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. A British volunteer cavalry force, growing out of a royal
        regiment of fox hunters raised by Yorkshire gentlemen in
        1745 to fight the Pretender, Charles Edward; -- calle
        dalso {yeomanry cavalry}. The members furnish their own
        horses, have fourteen days' annual camp training, and
        receive pay and allowance when on duty. In 1901 the name
        was altered to {imperial yeomanry} in recognition of the
        services of the force in the Boer war. See {Army
        organization}, above.
        [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
  
     {Yeomanry cavalry}, certain bodies of volunteer cavalry
        liable to service in Great Britain only. [Eng.]
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  yeomanry
       n 1: class of small freeholders who cultivated their own land
       2: a British volunteer cavalry force organized in 1761 for home
          defense later incorporated into the Territorial Army