avowry, avower, avoery

[From O. Fr. avouerie, avowerie; Low Lat. advocaria.] [Avow, v.] A. Ord . Lang. ( Of the forms avowery and avoery): Patronage of an individual of a religious cause or of a church. [B. 1.] "For through arowery of him the rather he gan to stryf."-Rob. Glouc.: Chron., p. 477. (S. in Boucher.) B. Law: 1. ( Of the forms avowery and avoery): The right which the founder of a religious house or one who had built or endowed a parish church had to its patronage. "And so in thys manner was the lord Marmyon put fro the foundation and the aroery of the howys of howys Pol les worth."-Monast. Anglic . , ii. 198 (old ed.). ( S. in Boucher .) 2. ( Of the form avowry): A term used when, on a person sueing replevin of goods, which he alleges that the defendant distrained, the latter, in reply, avows or openly declares that he did take the goods, but adds that he had proper justification of the deed, as that the distraint was for rent due, for damage done to his property, or for some similar cause. ( Black stone : Comment ., bk. iii., ch. 9.)