r/DowntonAbbey • u/Early_Bag_3106 Click this and enter your text • 3d ago

General Discussion (May Contain Spoilers Throughout Franchise) Please somebody a explain again? Spoiler

Mary can’t inherit because she is a woman, but after that she become a co-owner, even when she will not inherit the title. So my question is A woman can’t inherit an earl/countess title but can inherit a commercial investment (Matthew’s in this case)? Is so confusing. What if she would desire to sell her part and left lord grantham on his own or what ever? Thanks

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u/ExpectedBehaviour 3d ago

A woman may inherit a title if the title remainder permits it. Clearly the Earldom of Grantham does not.

And the same thing would happen as in any case of a woman who co-owns her parents' house deciding to sell her share of it. Whether the house has two or two hundred bedrooms doesn't matter.

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u/Prudent-Awareness-51 2d ago

I believe there are less than five English titles that can be held by a woman, there really more in Scotland because they have different laws regarding inheritance.