A writ issued by *chancery which sought to establish the rightful heir of a property. The case was decided by a jury assembled by the *sheriff and held before one of the travelling justices or *justice-in-eyre. The question to be answered was whether or not the claimant's father had had rightful possession of the property and whether the claimant was heir. By specifying the claimant's father in the claim, the *assize sought to step back to before Stephen's reign and the disruption of that time. -
Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases. Christopher Coredon with Ann Williams.