A cessavit was a writ in

English law English law is the common law legal system of England and Wales, comprising mainly criminal law and civil law, each branch having its own courts and procedures. Principal elements of English law Although the common law has, historically, be ...

, originating in Stat. 6 Edw. I., given by statute to recover lands when the

tenant Tenant may refer to: Real estate *Tenant, the holder of a leasehold estate in real estate *Tenant-in-chief, in feudal land law *Tenement (law), the holder of a legal interest in real estate *Tenant farmer *Anchor tenant, one of the larger stores ...

has for two years failed to perform the conditions of his tenure. It was abolished in 3 and 4 Wm. IV. The forms and species of this writ were various; such as, ''cessavit de cantaria'', ''cessavit de feodifirma'', and ''cessavit per biennium''. An example can be seen in a Plea Roll of the Court of Common Pleas, in 1430, where Robert Gryttone, abbot of Colchester St John, is suing Nicholas Peke. The words can be seen in the third line as "p. biennium iam cessavit".National Archives; CP 40/677; http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT1/H6/CP40no677/bCP40no677dorses/IMG_0991.htm; first entry, (in Latin)

References

*''Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary'', 1913. * Writs Real property law English legal terminology English property law {{England-law-stub