Answer to Question #216539 in History for Deanna

Question

Would a Regency England Landowner be able to legally exclude a male son - his first-born and heir apparent - from his Will? Simply because of a disagreement or some other pretext. The next son would then inherit, right? Thanks for answering

Answer 1

No, under regency inheritance law, disagreement or some other pretext cannot exclude a son from the will of his father. The sons are all entitled to share of the landowner and it should be stipulated well in the will.  Perpetuity law addresses an entail that lasting more than the three lives (generally the grandfather who is the holder of the entailed property, his firstborn son, and his firstborn grandson) plus twenty-one years. Keep in mind that an entail can be renewed when the original owner’s son (the firstborn son), as described above, becomes the grandfather, the original grandson becomes the father, and there is a new grandson.