 |
| Cyning (king) |
| Ealdorman (Earl after c.1000) |
| Hold / High-reeve |
| Thegn (thane) |
| Thingmen / housecarl (retainer) |
| Reeve / Verderer (bailiff) |
| Ceorl (churl, free tenant) |
| Villein (serf) |
| Cottar (cottager) |
| Þēow (thrall, slave) |
Hold (or Hauld) was a title of nobility, used in early medieval Scandinavia and the English Danelaw.
History
Holds were described as "noblemen of exalted rank" in Viking Northumbria by Frank Stenton, with a wergild of 4000 thrymsas, equivalent to a king's high-reeve. Hold is described as a title just below the earl in Oxford Dictionary of Surnames.
References
- Stenton, Frank M. (1971). Anglo-Saxon England (3rd ed.). Clarendon Press. p. 509. ISBN 978-0-19-280139-5.
External links
- Eystein Eggen 2005 (Norwegian, Aftenposten)