Rules regarding inheritance?

[duckweed]

I don't know if anybody knows this, but before the English church became the Church of England, could an ordained priest inherit the family estates or would it pass to a younger brother or cousin?

[dochines]

Before the established Church or England Priests were from the Catholic Church in England

We all know the scenario of a priest coming from a long line of monks! However as far as I can see the traditional rules of inheritance applied whether or not the recipient was a priest.

In the middle ages RC priests were married often to several wives at once , eventually the various Popes put a stop to this and decreed priests should be celibate. If a priest did have an illigitimate family they could not inherit from the priest and certainly church property could never form part of a priests estate.

This meant in practice that the church should inherit any property or money owned by a Roman Catholic priest on his death

However when a Priest's father died he would inherit in the normal way. I am sorry but wives did not count for much and were seen as their husbands' chattels

dochines

[duckweed]

The thing is there are 4 sons, 2 who were ordained Bishops. I am trying to work out the sons relative ages as I know the Bishops ages as they are well documented but the 2 other brothers I don't. If a bishop could inherit land and it did not pass to the church that would mean that either bishops if they were elder could inherit and then pass the estate to a younger brother. If they were not allowed to do that then the lay person who inherited must be the elder brother.

[dochines]

I see where you are coming from. If you like to PM me any details I will have some further thought. I supose there is no chance of a will for either of the bishops being available ? I think a bishop with no legal off spring would normally leave everything to the church rather than to a brother or for that matter parent.

I do know there are different eccesiastical rules in india about inheritance and priests. I assume they were not bishops in India?

dochines