Borough Bnglish

Borough-Bnglish, the name given to that mode of inheritance by which the youngest son in some parts of England succeeds to landed property to the exclusion of his elder brother. The term is derived from a report in the first Year-book of Edward III., where burgh-Engloyes is used to distinguish this right from burg-Francoyes, the right of the eldest son. Borough-English is sometimes made to include analogous customs, by which preference is given to remote heirs, and for these customs Elton (Origins of English History, ch. vii.) proposes to employ the term "ultimogeniture," as suggested by the Real Property Commissioners, or to coin a new phrase like "juniority," or "junior-right." In Hampshire this custom is known as "cradle-holding." Many explanations of this mode of succession have been suggested, but none is satisfactory.