Reply to Payne-O'Connor

Abstract

child; Elizabeth herself had no children; and Judith had three sons. After the death of the last of Judith's sons in 1639, the entail was barred; and after a series of settlements, Elizabeth became free to dispose of the property as she wished. This sequence of events illustrates rather aptly Janeway's point about male primacy in inheritance and the social necessity of insuring legitimate descent. At the time Shakespeare made his will, there were no male heirs in the direct line of descent, but the entailment insured that, should any male heirs be born subsequently, they would inherit ahead of the female heirs.