A
yeoman was a member of a
social class in
late medieval to
early modern England. In early recorded uses, a yeoman was an attendant in a noble household; hence titles such as Yeoman of the Chamber, Yeoman of the Crown, Yeoman Usher, King's Yeoman,
Yeomen Warders,
Yeomen of the Guard. The later sense of yeoman as "a
commoner who cultivates his own land" is recorded from the 15th century; in
military context, yeoman was the rank of the third order of
fighting men, below
knights and
squires, but above
knaves. A specialized meaning in
naval terminology, "
petty officer in charge of supplies", arose in the 1660s.