Legal Definitions - wardpenny

Wardpenny is a historical legal term, primarily used in medieval England, that refers to a payment made in place of a duty or service. It generally had two main applications:

• Money paid by an individual to avoid fulfilling a mandatory military service obligation.
• Money paid to a local official, such as a sheriff or a castellain (the commander of a castle), in exchange for the service of guarding and providing security for a castle or property.

Here are some examples to illustrate the concept of a wardpenny:

• Imagine a wealthy landowner in 12th-century England, Sir Reginald, who holds his estate directly from the King. This arrangement often came with a feudal obligation to provide a certain number of knights or soldiers for the King's army when called upon. However, if Sir Reginald was aging, unwell, or simply preferred to manage his lands rather than engage in warfare, he might pay a specific sum of money to the Crown. This payment was a wardpenny, which exempted him from his personal military service obligation, allowing the King to use that money to hire professional soldiers or equip others.

• Consider a small, prosperous market town situated near a powerful baron's castle. The townspeople might be concerned about increasing banditry on the roads leading to their market or general security within their community. They could collectively agree to pay a regular sum to the baron's castellain, the officer in charge of the castle's defenses. This wardpenny would ensure that the castle's guards extended their patrols beyond the castle walls to include the town's approaches and market square, thereby providing enhanced security and protection for their trade and residents.