"Beginning in the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight. At times, squires acted as a knight\u2019s errand runner or servant. Use of the term evolved over time. Initially, squires were a knight\u2019s trainees/apprentices. Later, a village leader or a lord of the manor might be called a squire, and still later, the term applied to key public figures, such as justices of the peace or members of parliament."@en .