Entail is the tradition of transferring productive
assets, typically income-producing property, in
perpetuity. Although the practice of entail has
underscored much of our history and literature, it is
little understood and rarely studied. Arising from
study of economic regeneration and revitalization by
the author from his experience as a venture capital
partner, this work traces the history of entail from
ancient times. Its purpose, owing to lawlessness and
interfamilial rivalries in ancient and medieval
times, was to retain control of the bulk of such
assets in the hands of strong male descendants who
could "protect the keep". As governments were
established, entails served to support aristocracies
and monarchies and provided scaffolding for civil
societies. Settling of the New World was stimulated
in part by a desire to escape from the limitations of
entail in Europe and England, as the majority of the
productive land was tied up in perpetuity in
contracts that could not be broken. When considering
the need for economic regeneration, coupled with
desires to ensure the well-being of family members,
we would be well-served to consider this aspect of
our history and tradition.