Father once apologised to me-that was when there was a distraint out against him, if you know what that is-because he wasn't rich.
"The Story of Louie"
Oliver Onions
Failure to make this payment promptly might have led to loss of the right, hence the rigorous penalty of distraint upon the looms of individual weavers who fell into arrears.
"Our Legal Heritage, 4th Ed."
S. A. Reilly
It also heard distraint, also called "distress", issues.
"Our Legal Heritage, 4th Ed."
S. A. Reilly