Although of central importance to the Edwardian war effort and to the organisation of English hosts in this period, captains, wardens and retinue leaders were in a minority when set against the total number of landowners and non-landed gentry who took up arms in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. Attempts to calculate the size of this pool of men-at-arms, consisting of both regular and occasional campaigners, have hitherto been hindered by the sheer bulk of the source materials and the interpretative problems associated with their use. However, such a quantitative approach is necessary if we are to gauge the extent of the English aristocracy's involvement in war during the reigns of the first two Edwards. By analysing the service records that provide information relating to military status (primarily the horse inventories, but also pay-rolls, proffer rolls and others), it has been possible to identify some 1,350 knights and 4,900 men of sub-knightly status, or sergeants, who took part in campaigns in Wales, Scotland and on the continent between 1272 and 1314. It should be noted, however, that the said records are far from complete, that sources not providing information relating to status (such as letters of protection, of attorney and of respite of debts) have not been included in this calculation, and that between a half and two-thirds of mounted soldiers tended to serve without Crown pay. Consequently, it may be estimated, very roughly, that around 1,700 knights and 6,000 sergeants acquired some experience of war between the accession of Edward I and the battle of Bannockburn.