DECENARY

decenary.Hist. A town or district consisting of ten freeholding families. • A freeholder of the

decenary  (a  decennarius)  was  bound  by  frankpledge  to  produce  any  wrongdoer  living  in  the

decenary. — Also spelled decennary. — Also termed decenna; tithing. Cf. FRANKPLEDGE.

“The civil division of the territory of England is into counties, of those counties into hundreds,

of  those  hundreds  into  tithings  or  towns.  Which  division,  as  it  now  stands,  seems  to  owe  its

original to king Alfred; who, to prevent the rapines and disorders which formerly prevailed in the

realm,  instituted  tithings; so  called  from  the  Saxon,  because  ten  freeholders,  with  their  families,

composed one. These all dwelt together, and were sureties or free pledges to the king for the good

behavior  of  each  other;  and,  if  any  offence  was  committed  in  their  district, they  were bound  to

have the offender forthcoming. And therefore anciently no man was suffered to abide in England

above  forty  days, unless he  were enrolled  in  some  tithing  or  decennary.”  1 William  Blackstone,

Commentaries on the Laws of England 110 (1765). [Blacks Law 8th]