Entail - A Lingering Question

Entail is the tradition of transferring productive§assets, typically income-producing property, in§perpetuity. Although the practice of entail has§underscored much of our history and literature, it is§little understood and rarely studied. Arising from§study of economic regeneration and revitalization by§the author from his experience as a venture capital§partner, this work traces the history of entail from§ancient times. Its purpose, owing to lawlessness and§interfamilial rivalries in ancient and medieval§times, was to retain control of the bulk of such§assets in the hands of strong male descendants who§could protect the keep . As governments were§established, entails served to support aristocracies§and monarchies and provided scaffolding for civil§societies. Settling of the New World was stimulated§in part by a desire to escape from the limitations of§entail in Europe and England, as the majority of the§productive land was tied up in perpetuity in§contracts that could not be broken. When considering§the need for economic regeneration, coupled with§desires to ensure the well-being of family members,§we would be well-served to consider this aspect of§our history and tradition.