The collective body of yeomen, or freeholders.

A British volunteer cavalry force, growing out of a royal regiment of fox hunters raised by Yorkshire gentlemen in 1745 to fight the Pretender, Charles Edward; -- calle dalso yeomanry cavalry. The members furnish their own horses, have fourteen days' annual camp training, and receive pay and allowance when on duty. In 1901 the name was altered to imperial yeomanry in recognition of the services of the force in the Boer war. See Army organization, above.

class of small freeholders who cultivated their own land

a British volunteer cavalry force organized in 1761 for home defense later incorporated into the Territorial Army

Local Army Militia

In the 1790s, the threat of invasion of the Kingdom of Great Britain was high, with the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. In order to maximise the country's defences, a number of volunteer regiments were raised in many counties by yeomen. These regiments became known collectively as the Yeomanry.