Definitions of hand down
to give or announce an official decision, judgment, verdict, or punishment etc.
The league handed down hefty sanctions to players involved in the brawl.
to give something you no longer need (eg a bicycle or a piece of clothing) to a younger member of your family
It was common practice to hand down clothes from one child to another.
to pass on knowledge, values, a skill, or a possession to someone from a younger generation
Not only do fathers hand down skills and equipment to their sons, they also bequeath fishing territories that were handed on to them by their fathers.