A tenant whose rights and obligations were determined by the customs of a particular manor.
A customary tenant was a person who held land according to the established customs of a manor.
Customary tenants did not hold their land in exactly the same way as freeholders. Their rights were based on local tradition and were usually recorded in the manorial court rolls.
They might owe rents, services or customary payments to the lord and often required the approval of the manorial court when transferring their holdings.
Many customary tenants held copyhold land, although the exact nature of their rights varied between different manors.
See also:
Copyhold
Admission
Court Roll
Tenant
Tenure
