Norman Conquest Encyclopedia
Carucate
A measure of land used in the Danelaw. When, in 886 AD, the Anglo-Saxons made the treaty establishing Danish rule in the area that became known by that name, north and east of Watling Street, the present A5 road, the hide was displaced as a unit of area. The carcurate, like the hide, varied from 60 to 120 acres, and related to the product of the land, enough to support a peasant family, more than to its size. Whereas the fyrd, the English levies, were raised at the rate of one to every five hides, the Danish were probably recruited at one to every six carucates.
See also: Anglo-Saxon; Danelaw; fyrd; hide
Related Reading:
- Anglo Saxon Thegn (Warrior 5)
- Hastings 1066 (Revised Edition)- The Fall of Saxon England
(Campaign 13 )