ABSTRACT
InadditionthepresentoccupiersinGosforthstatedtheir holdingswouldbeinheritedasfollows:
Itwillbeclearfromthisthatthereisapreferencefortheeldest son,inaccordancewiththecustominmanypartsofEngland, butthatpartibleinheritance-similartothatfoundformerlyin WalesandIreland9-isalsofairlycomnion.Thisabsenceofa rigidpatternofinheritanceappearstohavebeencharacteristic ofGosforthfromatleastthemiddleoftheseventeenthcentury. Anexaminationofoldfarmdeeds,somedatingbackto1649, revealedthatinadditiontothetypesofsuccessionlistedabove therewereexamplesofadaughterinheritingwhentherewere sonsathomeandofjointinheritancebetweendaughters.(ThereforethegeneralizationfoundinsomanyhistoriesthatCumberland,asanareaofearlyenclosure,wascharacterizedbypartible inheritanceisdisproved,atleastasfara~Gosforthisconcerned.)
Inthemajorityofcases,wheretheeldestsoninherits,heremainsathomeunmarrieduntilhisparentsretire.Hethenassumes controlandisfreetomarry,andthelimitedinformationavailablesuggeststhatmarriagefollowsinheritancewithinaveryshort period.Theremainingsonsarefreetomarrymoreorlesswhen theychoose,subjecttothelabourrequirementsoftheholding. Wherethereisasuperfluityofman-power,theparentsattempt toestablishoneortwosonsasfreeholdersortenantsintheirown rightwhentheymarry,andwhenthisispossibletheparents' contributionisthoughtofasabsolvingthemfromanyfuture obligationtothesechildren.
