FRANK-Pledge, in Law, signifies a pledge or surety for the behaviour of freemen.
According to the ancient custom of England, for the preservation of the public peace, every freeborn man, at the age of fourteen, except religious persons, clerks, knights, and their eldest sons, was obliged to give security for his truth and behaviour towards the king and his subjects, or else be imprisoned. Accordingly, a certain number of neighbours became interchangeably bound
bound for each other, to see each person of their pledge forthcoming at all times, or to answer for the offence of any one gone away: so that whenever any person offended, it was presently inquired in what pledge he was, and there the persons bound either produced the offender in 31 days, or made satisfaction for his offence.