Essoin, Essoigne, Assoign [fr. essonium, Lat.; essoine, Fr.; ex, priv., and soing, cura; ab angusta cura, vel labore liberare, which is a more probable derivation than Gk.; though it signifies to excuse by means of an oath, which is the precise nature of an essoin. See Spelman, voc., 'Essoniare' ], an excuse for him who is summoned to appear and answer to an action, or to perform suit to a Court-baron, etc., by reason of sickness or infirmity or other just cause of absence.
The causes of excuse called essoins allowed in the King's Court were many. The principal essoin was that de infirmitate, which was of two kinds: 1. De infirmitate veniendi; 2. De infirmitate resianti'--of which the first was afterwards called de malo veniendi, the latter de malo lecti. See 1 Reeves, 115 and 405, for other essoins.
Formerly the first general return day of the term was called the essoin day, because the Court sat to receive essoins; but when essoins were no longer allowed to be cast, i.e., obtained, in personal actions, the Court discontinued such sittings. Still it was considered the essoin day for many purposes, until the Law Terms Act, 1830 (11 Geo. 4 & 1 Wm. 4, c. 70), s. 6, did away with the essoin day for all purposes, as part of the term.