In Pride and Prejudice, because of the entail on Longbourn and the Bennets being blessed with five daughters and no sons, it’s all about the money. Mr. Bennet has the life tenancy at Longbourn. That gives him lifetime occupancy and an income from rents paid by the farmers. It was not much, but kept him on the right side of the line dividing the gentry… Read More
If you’re a fan of PBS’s historical period drama Downton Abbey, then you know what an entailed estate is. The legal title to the country estate, Downton Abbey, is to pass only to “heirs male.” Unfortunately Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham, and his wife Cora have three daughters and no sons. The oldest daughter Mary is to marry a distant cousin who is the… Read More
The Belton Estate by Anthony Trollope was written in 1865. Clara Amedroz is the only surviving child of Squire Bernard Amedroz, the current tenant in possession under a fee tail male of the Belton Estate. Her brother, who would have been the heir, through dissipation and extravagances has forced the squire to pay all of his income and savings to pay the son’s debts. Then… Read More