DE DONIS CONDITIONALIBUS

De   Donis   Conditionalibus   (dee    doh-nis    k<<schwa>>n-dish-ee-<<schwa>>-nal-i-b<<

schwa>>s). An English statute, enacted in 1285, that gave rise to the ability to create a fee tail. —

Often shortened to De Donis. — Sometimes written de donis conditionalibus.

“[T]he statute  de donis of 13 Edw. I…. was intended to check the judicial construction, that

had,  in  a  great  degree,  discharged  the  conditional  fee  from  the  limitation  imposed  by  the  grant.

Under   that   statute,   fees   conditional   were   changed   into   estates   tail   ….”   4   James   Kent,

Commentaries on American Law *444 (George Comstock ed., 11th ed. 1866).

“[A]fter De Donis, the formula ‘to A and the heirs of his body’ gave to A an estate known as

an estate in fee tail. Because A had no power to transfer an estate in fee simple absolute, it became

theoretically  possible  for  persons  like  O  to  tie  up  the  ownership  of  land  in  a  single  family  for

hundreds of  years. We say theoretically  possible because by 1472 a way would be found  for the

tenant  in  tail  (as  A  was  called)  to  transfer  an  estate  in  fee  simple  absolute  despite  De  Donis.”

Thomas  F. Bergin & Paul G. Haskell, Preface to Estates in  Land and Future Interests 29 (2d ed.

1984). [Blacks Law 8th]