writ of process

WRIT OF PROCESS, Eng. law, practice. If the defendant does not appear, in 
obedience to the original writ, there issue, when the time for appearance is 
past, other writs, returnable on some general return day in the term, called 
writs of process, enforcing the appearance of the defendant, either by 
attachment, or distress of his property, or arrest of his person, according 
to the nature of the case. 
     2. These differ from the original writ in the following particulars; 
they issue not out of chancery, but out of the court of common law, into 
which the original writ is returnable; and, accordingly, are not under the 
great seal, but the private seal of the court; and they bear teste in the 
named of the chief justice of that court, and not in the name of the king 
himself. It may also be observed, that in common with all other writs 
issuing from the court of common law, during the progress of the suit, they 
are described as judicial writs, by way of distinction from the original one 
obtained from the chancery. 4 Bl. Com. 282. See further, as to the nature of 
those writs, 1 Tidd's Pr. 106-193, 4th edit.; 1 Sellon's Pr. 64-102.