The “Book of all the Auncient Customs,” is dated 23rd July, in the 32nd year of Queen Elizabeth, 1580; and is kept in its original shape in a spacious box, at the office of Messrs. Attree, Clarke, and Howlett, solicitors, Ship Street. It is in black letter, on parchment, and is in a state of good preservation, although the ink, from age, is very yellow. An engrossed copy in corrected modern authority, is deposited with it, and is as follows:— _In the Manors of Brighthelmston_, _as Parcel of the Barony of Lewes_, _the following Feudal Customs_, _partly of Saxon origin_, _but established for the most part by the Norman settlers in this country_, _have_, _by immemorial usage_, _governed the Courts there_:— 1. The lands of _copyholders_ in these manors are descendible, on death, to the youngest son, or to the youngest daughter if there be no son, and so on to the youngest relatives collaterally. {26} 2. The widow of a purchaser of a copyhold estate to which he has been admitted, or the widow of an heir by descent, though unadmitted, may, after three courts to be holden next after her husband’s death, claim her _widow’s bench_, and shall be admitted for her life, even though she marry again, she paying the lord a reasonable fine, not exceeding one year’s value of the land. But if the husband, even on his death-bed, make a surrender of his copyhold, the widow shall not have her _bench_, nor the widow of a purchaser unadmitted, nor the widow of a tenant in reversion. 3. All the tenants of these manors, except such as were discharged by deed, or held by knight’s service, held their lands by _suite of court_, the _copyholder_ from three weeks to three weeks, and to be of the homage: the _freeholders_ were to appear only twice a-year, viz., at the courts holden at Easter and Michaelmas, where, if they knew of any wrong done to the lord, they were bound by their oath of fealty, to make it known to the court. But they (the _freeholders_) were not to be of the homage, because they performed service at juries at the _barony court_, held from three weeks to three weeks at _Lewes_; from which service the copyholders were exempt. The defaulters at each court were to be _essoyned_ (excused) or _assirred_ (fined) in proportion to their offence. 4. Surrenders made out of court, and presented at the next general court holden for the manor, are good. 5. The heir in possession of a customary tenement, being above the age of fourteen years, or he or she to whose use any surrender shall be made, being of the like age, not coming into court on or before the third half-yearly proclamation, shall forfeit his or her estate.