“The production by the debtor of receipts for the last three consecutive installments of a termly payment, such as feu-duty, rent, wages or interest, raises a presumption, the apocha trium annorum, rebuttable by parol evidence, that all prior instalments have been duly paid. The same inference is not justified by one receipt, even for three or more instalments. Nor do receipts for three instalments justify an inference that a bill, granted for earlier arrears, has been paid.” 2 David M. Walker, Principles of Scottish Private Law 143 (4th ed. 1988).
apocha trium annorum
apocha trium annorum (ap-[schwa]-k[schwa] trI-[schwa]m [schwa]-nor-[ schwa]m). [Latin “receipt for three years”] Scots law. Hist. Receipts for three consecutive periodic payments, the production of which gave rise to a presumption that prior installments had been properly paid.
