Essoin

Essoign. [L. Fr. essoins, essoyne, ezoine, asoyne, assoigne; L. Lat essonium,exonium, from Fr. essonier, (which from ex, priv. and soign, care), to excuse, to relieve from care; or from Gr. Kdfivvadat, to excuse on oath; (from i(, from, and Ifivvfu, to swear.) Spelman!] In English practice. An excuse for. not appearing in court, at the return of process; the exhibition or presentation of such excuse to the court; {ipsa exctisatio, ejusdernqtie exkibitio,) Spelman voc. JSssoniare, Britt c.

122. Boscoe's Real Act, 156.

Formerly allowed both to the plaintiff and defendant, (though generally the latter,) in real, personal and mixed actions.

Co.IAttXZl. Com. Dig. Exoine, B. I. Bootees Suit at Law, 56, 57. OUb. C. PUas, 12, 13.

The excuses or essoins which were allowed to be offered were five, viz.: that the party was (1) in the king's service, (Lat. in servitio regis; Fr. en service del roy; called simply servitium regis;) (2) in the holy land; (Lat. in terra sancta, or in terrain sanctam; called simply terra sancta: Fr. a la terre seynte:) (3) beyond sea, (Lat. trans or ultra mare, Fr. outre meer, or ouster le mer:) (4) ill in bed; (called malum lecti; Fr. mal de lyt; illness in bed:) and (5) prevented by misfortune happening on the v Hiy to the court, (called malum vice; Fr. mal de venue;) which last was the common essoin. Hence the technical names of the essoins; (1) De servitio regis, or de service del roy: (2) De terra sancta, or de terre seynte: (S) De ultra m^re, or de outre m£er: (4) De malo lecti, or de mal de lyt: and (5) De malo veniendi or de mal de venue, qq. V.) Glanv. lib.

1.

Bract, lib.

6, tr. 2.

Bi ^ritt. cc.

122—125. 1 Beeves' Hist. 405, et. seq. 2 Id. 122, 303.

All these, except the last, have long been obsolete, and no essoin is now allowed in personal actions.

Roscoe's Real Act. 163. 2 Term R. 16. 16 East's R. 7 note (a).

In real actions, essoins are stilt allowed in England.

3 Steph, Com. 659. See 10 Bing. 65.

— To ESSOIN. [L. Fr. essoyner, essonier; L. Lat. essoniare^ In English practice. To present or offer an excuse for not appearing in court on an appointed day, in obedience to a summons;

— to cast an essoin. Spelman, voc. Essoniare. This was anciently done by a person whom the party sent for that purpose, called an essoiner, {esstmiator;) and who, according to Bracton, presented the excuse in this form: Essonio talem dominum meum, quod cum esset in veniendo versus curiam, talis infirmitas ac" cedit ei per viam, quod venire non potest pro lucrari, nee pro perdere; et hocparatus sum docere, sicut curia consideraverit, &c.

I essoin such a one, my master, that while he was coming towanls the court, such an infirmity happened to him by the way, that be cannot come, either to gam or lose; and this I am ready to show, or prove, as the court shall consider, dec. Bract, fol.

340.