Wills, Inheritance, and the Family

by Finch, Janet; Hayes, Lynn; Mason, Jennifer; Masson, Judith; Wallis, Lorraine

• ISBN13: 9780198258346
• ISBN10: 0198258348
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1996-05-23
• Publisher: Clarendon Press

Summary

The Issue of how assets are distributed after death is of increasing significance for larger numbers of people. In this original and path-breaking study, the authors examine the principle means through which people plan to dispose of their assets after death: by the use of wills. By offeringan empirical study of 800 English wills, the book identifies significant patterns of bequeathing among a cross-section of the population, and not just among those sections of society who enjoy substantial wealth. This leads us to focus upon what wills tell us about the family and kin relationships,and upon how people transmit their assets across generations: to their families and to institutions and organizations.

Author Biography

Janet Finch is Vice Chancellor of Keele University.

Table of Contents

Wills as Social Documents	p. 1
Wills and the Transmission of Property under English Law	p. 20
Making a Will	p. 39
First Choices: Patterns of Bequeathing	p. 66
Who Gets What? Principles of Bequeathing	p. 97
Patterns of Substitution	p. 126
Families, Bequeathing, the Law	p. 162
Bibliography	p. 182
Index	p. 187
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