Family Wealth & Inheritance

In Wales, a different system was in practice. Known as “cyfran", in Welsh or “gavelkind" in English, the convention was for a man's inheritance to be divided between all his sons, including illegitimate ones. Women could not inherit land. Gavelkind resulted in smaller and smaller inheritances, which was fairer, but had the disadvantage of encouraging fratricide, and resulted in a country with no strong, central power to stand against its over mighty neighbour. The Wales Acts of 1536-1542 which, for legal purposes, turned Wales into a group of English counties, abolished cyfran.

Where there were no legitimate sons, in England, daughters would inherit, but, rather than the inheritance going to the eldest, the lands would be split between them as “co-parcenors".

In Wales, a different system was in practice. Known as “cyfran", in Welsh or “gavelkind" in English, the convention was for a man's inheritance to be divided between all his sons, including illegitimate ones. Women could not inherit land. Gavelkind resulted in smaller and smaller inheritances, which was fairer, but had the disadvantage of encouraging fratricide, and resulted in a country with no strong, central power to stand against its over mighty neighbour. The Wales Acts of 1536-1542 which, for legal purposes, turned Wales into a group of English counties, abolished cyfran.

In Kent, the system of gavelkind was observed until the 1920s. Ireland too, operated a type of gavelkind outside the English Pale and the Anglo-Irish earldoms, which conformed to standard English practice.

In Kent, the system of gavelkind was observed until the 1920s. Ireland too, operated a type of gavelkind outside the English Pale and the Anglo-Irish earldoms, which conformed to standard English practice.