wardcorn

English

Etymology

From ward +‎ corn.

Noun

wardcorn (uncountable)

1. (UK, law, obsolete) A payment of corn to be offered in commutation of military service.
   • 1842, George Oliver, Ecclesiastical Antiquities in Devon, page 100:

     And that the aforesaid Abbess and convent and their successors, and all tenants, residents, and non-residents, and other residents aforesaid, […] be quit through our entire realm of England of all pannage, lestage, […] and of treasure to be drawn away, and of wardpeny, wardcorne, averpeny, hundredpeny, […] and of all such custom

   • 1989, George Feairheller Deiser, Year Books of Richard II - Volume 12, page 68:

     and from a rent called wardcorn one quarter, three bushels of barley worth fifteen shillings per year, at the value of five pence the bushel.

   • 2002, Mark Bailey, The English manor, c.1200-c.1500, page 226:

     The additional payment of grain as ‘wardcorn’ is a local peculiarity, and refers to some ancient military responsibilty^[sic] upon the vill[agers].