How we distribute our assets after death is no longer a question for a small wealthy section of society: increasing numbers of people must now decide how to structure wills and to bequeath money and possessions across generations: not only to family and kin but to charities and institutions also. This path-breaking study offers an empirical study of 800 English wills and uses the material to reflect upon what they tell us of contemporary family and kin relationships. It will be of great interest to lawyers, anthropologists, sociologists and social historians.