Definition
An obsolete Anglo-Norman legal term meaning weight or weights. Appearing in early English legal texts, *peys* denoted the physical standards and instruments used to measure weight, particularly in the context of commercial regulation and the assay of goods. The related verb form *peyser* or *peiser* meant to weigh. Both forms are Law French in origin and appear in medieval English legal sources.
Why It Matters in Research
*Peys* is encountered almost exclusively in medieval English legal manuscripts and treatises, particularly those dealing with the regulation of trade, markets, and measures. Researchers working in early common law sources — especially texts touching on the assize of weights and measures, merchant law, or crown regulation of commerce — may encounter this term without gloss or translation. Its significance is contextual: weights and measures in medieval England were subject to royal oversight, and disputes over *peys* could carry legal consequences ranging from market forfeiture to criminal liability for false dealing.
The primary trap for researchers is the term's invisibility in modern legal indexes and finding aids. Because *peys* dropped from use long before legal English standardized, it will not appear in common law digests of later periods. A researcher unfamiliar with Law French conventions may misread or skip the term entirely. Cross-referencing with the broader vocabulary of the assize — *assisa panis et cervisiae*, *tronage*, *pesage* — will often yield more productive search results in secondary literature than searching *peys* directly.
Note also that the related term *pesage* (a toll or duty for weighing goods) survived longer in commercial and port law contexts and appears in later sources where *peys* does not. The two are connected but not interchangeable.
Historical Dictionary Support
Burrill's Law Dictionary is the primary source capturing *peys* in the American legal dictionary tradition. Burrill traces the term to Britton (c. 1290), one of the earliest systematic treatises on English common law, written in Law French. Burrill gives both the noun (*peys*, weight or weights) and the verb (*peyser*, *peiser*, to weigh), correctly situating them in the same passage of Britton.
No significant divergence exists among historical sources on this term because coverage is sparse — Burrill essentially stands alone among major Anglo-American legal dictionaries in recording it. Jacob's Law Dictionary, Tomlin's Law Dictionary, and Bouvier's Law Dictionary do not appear to carry independent entries for *peys*, which underscores its status as a term of antiquarian rather than practical legal significance even by the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Researchers should treat Burrill's entry as a reliable pointer to Britton but should consult the primary source directly for any substantive legal argument.
Jurisdictional Note
*Peys* is a term of early English law with no meaningful jurisdictional variation across American or Commonwealth jurisdictions. It predates any developed common law system in those regions and carries no operative legal force today.