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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Gavelkind

Gavelkind \Gav"el*kind`\, n. [OE. gavelkynde, gavelkende. See Gavel tribute, and Kind, n.] (O. Eng. Law) A tenure by which land descended from the father to all his sons in equal portions, and the land of a brother, dying without issue, descended equally to his brothers. It still prevails in the county of Kent.
--Cowell.

Wiktionary
gavelkind

n. (context historical English) a system of inheritance associated with the county of Kent in England whereby, at the death of a tenant, intestate estate is divided equally among all his sons; also, a similar system employed in Ireland

Wikipedia
Gavelkind

Gavelkind was a system of land tenure associated chiefly with the county of Kent, but also found in Ireland and Wales and some other parts of England. Its inheritance pattern is a system of partible inheritance, which bears resemblance to Salic patrimony: as such, it might testify in favour of a wider, probably ancient Germanic tradition. Under this law, land was divided equally among sons or other heirs.

Over the centuries, various acts were passed to degavel individual manors but, in England and Wales, it was the Administration of Estates Act 1925 that finally abolished the custom.