Forms: see YEOMAN; also 5 yemandry, yomandrye, 6–7 yeomandrie, -dry, (7–8 -try). [f. YEOMAN + -RY.]
I. 1. The body of yeomen or small landed proprietors, yeomen collectively; † a company of yeomen.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, IV. 386. Schir Iohne the Hastyngis,… With knychtis of full mekill pryde, With squyaris and gude ȝhemanry.
1477. Earl Rivers (Caxton), Dictes, F iij. The nombre of his knyghtes were comonli of his retenew … were ccc .xiij. thousand wythout yomanrye and other men necessary to his warres.
1538. Starkey, England (1878), 79. Yf the yeomanry of Englond were not, in tyme of warre we schold be in schrode case.
1549. Latimer, 1st Serm. bef. Edw. VI. (Arb.), 40. Suche procedynges … do intend plainly, to make the yomanry slauery and the Cleargye shauery.
1607. Markham, Cavel., Ded. (1617), A j. The three great Columbes of this Empire: the Nobilitie, the Gentrie, and Yeomanrie of Great Brittaine.
1692. R. Meeke, Diary, 2 Sept., 54. My father was born in a very mean house: my mother in a comely hall… I am a branch of Yeomanry by the father, of gentility by my mother.
1693. Humours Town, 103. The Yeomandry trudge on honestly in their several Vocations.
1704. Swift, T. Tub, x. 184. The Clergy, and Gentry, and Yeomantry of this Land.
1837. Ht. Martineau, Soc. Amer., III. 67. The free yeomanry, and the youth of the towns, have an eye for the right, and a heart for the true.
1868. Rogers, Pol. Econ., xiii. (1876), 171. A hardy and prosperous yeomanry, who either purchased the land in parcels, or bargained to work it with their own capital.
b. The general body of freemen of a livery company. Obs. exc. Hist.
1497. in J. Nicholl, Comp. Ironm. (1866), 50. The yemenry of this yor worshipfull felishipe of this craffte of Iermongers. Ibid. (1532), 54. The … wardens of the yemanry of Iremongeres.
1578. in East Anglian, June (1910), 275. [Provision is made for two] banketts [to friends and to the] companye of yeomanrye.
1637. Decree Star Chamb. conc. Printing, § 19. Euery Master-printer of the Yeomanry of the Company may haue one Apprentice.
† 2. a. A company of yeomen or attendants. b. The yeomen of the guard. Obs. rare.
16[?]. Robin Hood & Beggar, xxxi., in Child, Ballads (1888), III. 157/2. And Robin took these brethren good To be of his yeomandrie.
1673. Marvell, in Coll. Poems, 254. [It is] Dishonourable to the Nation He should have any other Guards but the Yeomanry.
3. A volunteer cavalry force in the British army, originally formed at the time of the French Revolution, and consisting chiefly of men of the yeomanry class or status; first embodied in 1794 (Act 34 Geo. III., c. 31).
The full designation was The Yeomanry Cavalry, but is now (since 1908) The Yeomanry. In 1899 the formation of a new corps was provided for, entitled The Imperial Yeomanry, recruited for service in the South African War (1899–1902) from the yeomanry, the volunteers, and civilians; this title was subsequently extended to the original yeomanry, and was retained until 1908.
1794, 1798. [see sense 6].
c. 1800. A. Young, in Autobiog. (1898), 206. I sat at dinner by a gentleman of great property, captain of a troop of yeomanry.
1802. Act 42 Geo. III., c. 66 (title), An Act to enable his Majesty to avail himself of the Offers of certain Yeomanry and Volunteer Corps to continue their Services.
1828. Scott, Jrnl., 18 March (1891), 558. I dined at the Club of the Selkirkshire yeomanry, now disbanded.
1846. M’Culloch, Acc. Brit. Empire (1854), II. 139. The management of the militia, yeomanry, and other domestic forces, is regulated by various statutes.
1866. Geo. Eliot, F. Holt, Introd. 10. Their notion of Reform was a confused combination of rick-burners, trades-unions, Nottingham riots, and in general whatever required the calling out of the yeomanry.
1899. Daily News, 30 Dec., 8/5. No mounted corps from this country will be accepted for service in South Africa except as part of the Imperial Yeomanry.
II. † 4. The condition of a yeoman; yeomanhood. Obs.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Reeve’s T., 29. For Symkyn wolde no wyf, as he sayde, But if she were wel ynorissed and a mayde, To sauen his estaat of yomanrye [v.r. yemanrye].
1611. Cotgr., Roture, yeomanrie; the estate, condition, or calling of such as are not of gentle bloud.
1612. Drayton, Poly-olb., xi. 25. They, of all England, most to ancient customes cleaue, Their Yeomanry and still endeuoured to vphold.
† 5. Something pertaining to or characteristic of a yeoman. a. Speech befitting a (good) yeoman, homely or honest speech. b. Yeoman’s dress. Obs.
c. 1500. Robin Hood & Potter, xxiii., in Child, Ballads (1888), III. 110/2. ‘Be mey trowet, thow seys soyt,’ seyde Roben, ‘Thow seys god yemenrey.’
1592. Arden of Feversham, IV. ii. 38. Fran. And, sirra, as we go, let vs haue som more of your bolde yeomandry. Fer. Nay, by my troth, sir, but flat knauery.
1597. Bp. Hall, Sat., III. i. Husbanding it in work-day yeomanrie.
III. 6. attrib., as yeomanry cavalry (= 3), corps, cut, dress, family, horse, man, officer.
1794. in Q. L., Yeom. Cav. Worc. (1914), 5. The proposed Corps of Yeomanry Cavalry for the County of Worcester.
1798. Act 38 Geo. III., c. 51 (title), An Act for authorizing the billetting such Troops of Yeomanry Cavalry as may be desirous of assembling for the Purpose of being trained together.
1825. M’Watt (title), Letters to Officers and Privates of the Berwickshire Yeomanry Cavalry.
1886. H. Graham (title), Annals of the Yeomanry Cavalry of Wiltshire, a History of the Prince of Wales’ Own Royal Regiment.
c. 1800. A. Young, in Autobiog. (1898), 206. The undisputed origin of all the *yeomanry corps in the kingdom.
1816. Scott, Bl. Dwarf, i. With a saddle of the *yeomanry cut, and a double-bitted military bridle.
1877. Mrs. Forrester, Mignon, xviii. How handsome he looks in his *yeomanry dress.
1868. Chamb. Encycl., X. 315/2. The horses employed on *yeomanry duty.
1885. J. Gillow, Lit. & Biog. Hist. Eng. Cath., II. 47. The Dennetts, a Lancashire *yeomanry family.
1833. Gen. P. Thompson, Exerc. (1842), II. 426. The landlords … have martial law in their view before they will give up the Corn Laws; they fat their *yeomanry horses for that very chase.
1884. Jefferies, Life of Fields, 132. There are *yeomanry-men still living who remember how they rode about at night after the rioters.
1902. Violet Jacob, Sheep-Stealers, ix. The *yeomanry officer who had been present at the riot.
