QUANTITY Sopowerderivedfromcommandovermen.Inthefeudalera,thiswasoftenattributedprincipallytoalord's enfeoffedknight;underBastardFeudalism,tothosethe lord'couldrecruitamongthegentry'[myitalics].lWiththe almostuniqueexceptionofJ.M.W.Bean,itisagreedthat thesegentry,whetherfeudaltenants,indenturedretainers ormerelyfeedmen,werethemselveslandholdersresiding outsidethehouseholdsoftheirlords.2Tounderstand thenatureandassessthestrengthofanyconnection thereforerequirestheidentificationandcategorisation oftheindividualretainers.Oftentheresultisveryscanty, asforAymerEarlofPembroke(d.1324),yetassumes withoutquestionthat'thepermanentbasis...wascomposedofmenwhohadmadecontractswithhimfor longtermservice'3becausethiswaswhathappenedm

thebetterdocumentedretinues.Butisthisassumption valid?Althoughexceptionallylarge,theindenturedretinuesofJohnofGauntandWilliamLordHastingshave neverthelessremainedthemodelagainstwhichothers aremeasured...Theyweresimilarinkindtootherretinueshoweverdifferenttheirscale.Suchapresumption underliestheworkofHolmesforexample,whonotedthat contractsaloneprovideonly'averyincompletepicture oftheMortimerfollowing'andyetwasobligedtobase hisanalysisoffourteenth-centuryretainingoncontracts andfeesgrantedbyahandfulofthebetterdocumented magnates.Theirretinuesproved,hardlysurprisingly,to besimilarbutsmallerthanGaunt's.4Thenumbersof gentryretainedarethereforegenerallyacceptedasa measureoftherelativepowerofdifferentmagnates.