LTReikšminiai žodžiai: LDK; Senieji papročiai; Naujovės; Paprotinė teisė; Rašytinė teisė; Dvarai; Bajorai. Keywords: GDL; Old customs; Novelty; Common law; Legal documents; Estates; Gentry.Reikšminiai žodžiai: Lietuvos Metrika; Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė (LDK; Grand Duchy of Lithuania; GDL); 15 amžius; 16 amžius; Bajorai; Šaltiniai; Teisiniai dokumentai; 15th century; 16th century; Nobles; Legal documents; Lithuanian Metrica; Sources.
ENThe article reviews functioning of institutes of “old customs” and “novelty” in legal and economic sources of Grand Lithuanian Duchy of the second half of XV–XVI cc. It analyses lists of by-law documents and marks that beginning from the third part of XVI century mentioned categories were not used in legal documents. The procedure of “old customs” misuse by gentry is cleared up: all beneficial innovations were protected and labeled as “old customs”, and unfavourable ones were rejected. This is vividly confirmed by analysis of operations with land purchase-selling. Moreover, limitation of selling of estates in before statute period was considered as a manifestation of “old customs” that existed from old times. But canceling of such restriction that became “novelty” for society, immediately turned into “old custom”, because it suited the interests of gentry. [From the publication]