Wapenshaw

wop-in-shaw, a Scottish term meaning literally a weapon show. It was customary in early times for the able-bodied inhabitants of each district to appear at an appointed place well armed. The meet differed from our colonial muster day in that it was held not so much for military exercise as for the purpose of showing their weapons and proving to the satisfaction of their military leader that they were prepared in case of war. Games, wrestling matches, and hilarity were the order of the day. Under the influence of the Covenanters, wapenshaws were discontinued as tending to convivial habits and ungodliness. See Hundreds