Below the thegns were the ceorls, freemen, farmers and independent landed householders who formed the mainstay of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom, based as it was on a rural economy.  The term free in an Anglo-Saxon context can be misleading, since there were many degrees of freedom.  Ceorls were 'folcfry' (folk-free), that is, free in the eyes of the community. They enjoyed weregilds and had the right to seek compensations for other free kinsmen.  They were allowed to bear arms and be considered 'fyrd worthy' and 'moot worthy'.  This meant they were considered worthy to serve in the fyrd and take part in folk meetings. They did not have the same degree of freedom as thegns or ealdormen.  There were three main classes of ceorl, although the dividing line between the classes was indistinct.  First were the geneatas, the peasant aristocracy who paid rent to their overlord.  Geneat originally meant companion, implying that the class originated from the lord's household, often receiving land as a gift.  The Thegn's Law source on the duty of a geneat: