Thrown to the Hedgerows: Origins of the English Entailment System

In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Mrs. Bennet is desperate to marry her daughters off because their estate will pass completely out of the family’s hands upon the death of their father. What were the historical factors that allowed for this very plausible scenario, yet also provoked a sense of injustice in Austen’s 19th Century readers?

The first half of the session will be a broad lesson about the feudal and cultural origins of the English Entailment system, the second will be an open discussion about these subjects.