#assizes

• Course of masonry — 1. (In construction and architecture) A continuous horizontal layer of stone blocks, bricks, or other masonry materials, laid at the same height within the structure of a wall. 2. (In geology) A layer of sedimentary rocks deposited uniformly, characterized by the same lithological or paleontological composition. 3. (In law and history; plural) A court of assizes, session, or periodic judicial structural gathering where criminal trials of outstanding severity were judged.
• Assizes — A historical term used in medieval English and French law (originating from the phrase 'the assizes') to denote periodic courts, sessions of royal tribunals, or decrees and edicts issued by sovereigns to regulate the prices, weights, and measures of consumer goods (such as the famous 'Assize of Bread and Ale'). In the context of legal databases, the term functions as a technical noun describing the institutional evolution of jury courts in the Common Law system.