From what I've read, and this may well not be accurate, several laws were passed in order to allow what they called free alienation - buying and selling to you and me. It would seem, however, that a number of them foundered on the alter of creating dynasties and keeping the property within the family. Please, someone, correct me. Audrey ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ruth Barton" <mrgjb@sover.net> To: <OLD-ENGLISH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2004 8:34 PM Subject: RE: [OEL] Baffled by IPM - leaving land by will > This is very confusing, don't people over there just buy and sell land? Ruth > > > > > > At 3:30 PM +0100 10/28/04, Tompkins, M.L wrote: > ><<Personal estate used to mean movable items, not land. So in the days > >when the only significant wealth was land, which was "real estate", this > >would not have been part of personal estate and could not have been left.>> > > > > > >I often see statements to the effect that land could not be devised by > >will, and they always puzzle me, because they are simply not correct. Or > >at least not very correct - as always, the situation was complex, and the > >law changed over time. However it is true to say that at most times in > >modern English history most land could be devised by will. > > > >It all depends on the kind of land in question. > -- > Ruth Barton > mrgjb@sover.net > Dummerston, VT > > > ==== OLD-ENGLISH Mailing List ==== > OLD-ENGLISH Web Page > http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~oel/ > >