Legal Definitions - hundred

Definition: A former county subdivision that had its own local court. It may have consisted of an area taxed at one hundred hides, one hundred households, or an area that had to supply one hundred fighting men for national defense. The populace of such a subdivision is also referred to as a hundred. In the United States, it is a political division derived from the English county division. Today, hundreds exist only in Delaware.

• In medieval England, a hundred was a group of adjoining townships that had its own local court.
• The hundred of Sussex was required to supply one hundred fighting men for national defense.
• Today, the only state in the United States that still uses hundreds as a political division is Delaware.

The examples illustrate how the term hundred was used in medieval England and how it was a political division in the United States. The first example explains that a hundred was a group of adjoining townships that had its own local court. The second example shows that the hundred of Sussex was required to supply one hundred fighting men for national defense. The third example explains that today, hundreds only exist in Delaware as a political division.