in early English history, the land necessary to support a free peasant family. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the hide commonly appeared as 120 acres (50 hectares) of arable land, but it probably represented a much smaller holding before 1066. It was the basis of the earliest taxation and the basis for mustering the primitive English militia, the fyrd. By the end of the Anglo-Saxon period, it had become unusual for a single peasant to hold an entire hide, most being restricted to a quarter hide, or yardland. Long after the Norman Conquest (1066), however, the hide was the unit according to which assessment for national taxation was expressed.

the pelt taken from a cow, steer, or bull of the bovine species, from the pelt of a horse, or from the integument of some other large adult animal. The pelts of smaller animals are commonly called skins—namely, sheepskins, goatskins, calfskins, etc. For the preservation and tanning of hides, see leather.