Help with 1505 document off AALT

[Marayong]

Hi folks,
I would appreciate any help translating a document on AALT. The summary says it relates to a debt between Thomas Hunt vs. Margaret Griffyn of Asshetysford, widow & Thomas Assherst of Asshetysford, tailor

Rather than include a degraded copy of the image, the original can be found there:
http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT1/H7/CP40no971/bCP40no971dorses/IMG_0099.htm

The index has several entries for this page, so it may only be a few lines. My interest is in Thomas Assherst.

Any help would be much appreciated.

cheers,
David

[Bookbox]

Kent
Thomas Hunt presented himself on the fourth day, through his attorney, against Margery Griffyn, widow, lately of Asshetysford in the aforesaid county, and against Thomas Assherst, tailor, lately of Asshetysford in the aforesaid county, in a plea that each of them should pay him one hundred and six shillings and eight pence which they owe him and have unjustly retained; and they did not come; and the sheriff was ordered to summon them etc; and the sheriff now reports that they have nothing etc.;* so they should be arrested and be here within three weeks of Easter etc.

* i.e., they had no goods that could be distrained for the debt.

[Marayong]

Thanks Bookbox. The lack of any real assets allows me to identify which Thomas Assherst this was - one owned land, the other didn't. Other than the regnal year (from the roll), is there any indication of the date? Arrested within 3 weeks of easter 20 H VII would be 2/3/1504-5, so the date would be sometime between 22/8/1504 and then. Any indication on the page that could narrow it down? Could the "on the 4th day" mean the 4th of the previous month, that is 4/2/1504-5?

[Bookbox]

Other than the regnal year (from the roll), is there any indication of the date?

Dates of individual hearings are not normally given in these rolls. But you can tell from the head of the roll that all these cases were heard in Hilary Term, one of the four 'law terms' during which legal business was pursued through the courts.

http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT1/H7/CP40no971/aCP40no971fronts/IMG_0003.htm

Hilary Term traditionally began on 20 January (a week after the feast of St Hilary, 13 Jan) and ran for several weeks, finishing before Lent started (exact date dependent on when Easter fell in that particular year).

ADDED
Hilary Term in 1504/5 ended on 12 February (from C. R. Cheney, A Handbook of Dates, rev. M. Jones, Cambridge, 2000).

Could the "on the 4th day" mean the 4th of the previous month, that is 4/2/1504-5?

Definitely not. Optulit se quarto die ('he presented himself on the fourth day') is a standard procedural phrase for plaintiffs, found in many records. Various explanations are regularly put forward for it. One is that defendants were summoned and given three chances to appear, and the case was heard on the 4th day, whether or not they appeared.

[Marayong]

Thanks heaps. Hilary term is good enough, especially since we're only talking 4-5 weeks.

Thanks too for the explain about "on the 4th day". That makes sense .. on the 3rd day from religion and on the 7th day meaning in a week. I guess it was wishful thinking that it might refer to a specific day.