array, commission of

In England, system of universal military conscription dating from the 13th century, when the obligation to serve the king was extended to serfs. Able-bodied men between the ages of 15 and 60 in each shire were selected by local commissioners to serve in a force paid for by the county. Although hired soldiers predominated in royal armies by the following century, in the 16th century the power of array was accorded to lords-lieutenant. During the Civil War, Charles I issued commissions to raise troops for the royalist armies.