1. The protection of a castle.
2. A form of knight-service in which a tenant must protect the lord’s castle.
3. The tenure giving rise to this knight-service.
4. A tax once imposed in lieu of this knight-service.
5. The territory that is chargeable with the tax imposed in lieu of the knight-service.
— Also termed (in senses 2–5) ward.
“Castleguard is an imposition upon such of the king’s subjects as dwell within a certain compass of any castle, to the maintenance of such as watch and ward it. It is sometimes used for the circuit itself which is inhabited by such as are subject to this service.” William Rastell, Termes de la Ley 70 (1st Am. ed. 1812).
