In the great chain of feudal allegiance from monarch down to peasant, the tenant-in-chief held his land directly of the king; the Church and earls were all tenants-in-chief. In *DB the tenants-in-chief were listed at the beginning of each county, each being given a separate section. The term *honour is used of all the fiefs held by a tenant, even if in more than one *county. -
Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases. Christopher Coredon with Ann Williams.