He had no choice...
Posted by JennG on August 14, 1998 at 16:36:39:
In response to then why?, written by Taylor on August 14, 1998 at 14:54:26
] Then why would Mr. Bennet entail to Mr. Collins leaving his family potentially homeless?
My understanding from my readings (limited compared to some on this board!!) is that essentially the property was inherited with the entail already attached to it. IOW, it wasn't in Mr. Bennet's power to "un-entail" the property, much as I'm sure he would have liked to.
I think the original intention of entail was to prevent heirs from breaking up large estates piecemeal for quick cash--it kept the land together. Of course, it also could be a pain. I think (I should probably just shut up instead of thinking out loud, but oh well...) there were ways to "break" an entail, but it required the consent of the heir once he reached the age of 21, and I'm not sure it applied in all cases.
Clear as mud?
- more on entails Kathi 20:40:48 8/14/98
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- entails Laura W 17:50:10 8/16/98
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- entails Laura W 17:50:10 8/16/98
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