A freeman of the lowest class; one not a thane or of the servile classes; a churl.

("churl") a freeman ranking directly below a thegn, able to bear arms, own property, and improve his rank

In Anglo-Saxon England, the lowest social level of citizen. Beneath ceorl came cottager, a non-landed peasant, usually not free to move; and then at the bottom were thralls, or slaves. Other names for the ceorl class might be: bordar, freeman or villein ( villager ).

In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, Ceorl is a rider of Rohan.