A Commission of Array was a commission given by English royalty to officers or gentry in a given territory to muster and array the inhabitants and to see them in a condition for war, or to put soldiers of a country in a condition for military service. The term arrayers is used in some ancient English statutes, for an officer who had a Commission of Array.
Commissions of array developed from the ancient obligation of all free men to defend their country. Commissioners were usually experienced soldiers, appointed by the crown to array able bodied men from each shire. By the time of the Wars of the Roses conscript levies were less important than troops raised by indenture.
Though obsolete by the 17th century, the system was revived by Charles I in 1642 (in opposition to the 1641 Militia Ordinance that gave Parliament control of raising troops) in order to muster a Royalist army at the onset of the English Civil War.
Commission of array — Commission Com*mis sion, n. [F., fr. L. commissio. See {Commit}.] 1. The act of committing, doing, or performing; the act of perpetrating. [1913 Webster] Every commission of sin introduces into the soul a certain degree of hardness. South. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Commission of array — Array Ar*ray , n. [OE. arai, arrai, OF. arrai, arrei, arroi, order, arrangement, dress, F. arroi; a (L. ad) + OF. rai, rei, roi, order, arrangement, fr. G. or Scand.; cf. Goth. raidjan, garaidjan, to arrange, MHG. gereiten, Icel. rei[eth]i… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
commission of array — In old English law, a commission issued to send into every county officers to muster or set in military order the inhabitants. The introduction of commissions of lieutenancy, which contained, in substance, the same powers as these commissions,… … Black's law dictionary
commission of array — In old English law, a commission issued to send into every county officers to muster or set in military order the inhabitants. The introduction of commissions of lieutenancy, which contained, in substance, the same powers as these commissions,… … Black's law dictionary
commission of array — A royal command for the drafting of soldiers for the army. See 1 Bl Comm 411 … Ballentine's law dictionary
Commission — Com*mis sion, n. [F., fr. L. commissio. See {Commit}.] 1. The act of committing, doing, or performing; the act of perpetrating. [1913 Webster] Every commission of sin introduces into the soul a certain degree of hardness. South. [1913 Webster] 2 … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Commission merchant — Commission Com*mis sion, n. [F., fr. L. commissio. See {Commit}.] 1. The act of committing, doing, or performing; the act of perpetrating. [1913 Webster] Every commission of sin introduces into the soul a certain degree of hardness. South. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Commission of bankruptcy — Commission Com*mis sion, n. [F., fr. L. commissio. See {Commit}.] 1. The act of committing, doing, or performing; the act of perpetrating. [1913 Webster] Every commission of sin introduces into the soul a certain degree of hardness. South. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Commission of lunacy — Commission Com*mis sion, n. [F., fr. L. commissio. See {Commit}.] 1. The act of committing, doing, or performing; the act of perpetrating. [1913 Webster] Every commission of sin introduces into the soul a certain degree of hardness. South. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Commission of the peace — Commission Com*mis sion, n. [F., fr. L. commissio. See {Commit}.] 1. The act of committing, doing, or performing; the act of perpetrating. [1913 Webster] Every commission of sin introduces into the soul a certain degree of hardness. South. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
This article incorporates content from the 1728 Cyclopaedia, a publication in the public domain. [1]
