Simple English definitions for legal terms
Read a random definition: OTA
An apposer is a person who used to ask questions to an officer called a sheriff. The apposer's job was to make sure that the sheriff was doing their job correctly and not taking any extra money. This job doesn't exist anymore, but it used to be important in England a long time ago.
Definition: An apposer is a historical term that refers to two different things:
The second definition is more specific. The apposer was responsible for examining the sheriff's estreat, which was a book of fines. They would compare the entries in the estreat with those in court records and then interrogate the sheriff about each sum in the estreat. This office was abolished in England in 1833.
For example, if a sheriff had collected fines from people who had broken the law, the apposer would check to make sure that the fines were recorded correctly and that the money had been paid to the right place. They would ask the sheriff questions to make sure everything was done properly.