| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | The Act of Wills, Wards, and Primer Seisins, whereby a Man may devise Two Parts of his Land. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 32 Hen. 8. c. 1 |
| Territorial extent | England and Wales |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 24 July 1540 |
| Commencement | 12 April 1540 [a] |
| Repealed | 1 January 1838 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amended by | Wills Act 1542 |
| Repealed by | Wills Act 1837 |
| Relates to | Statute of Uses |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The Statute of Wills or Wills Act 1540 (32 Hen. 8. c. 1) was an act of the Parliament of England. The act made it possible, for the first time in post-Conquest English history, for landholders to determine who would inherit their land upon their death by permitting devise by will. Prior to the enactment of this statute, land could be passed by descent only if and when the landholder had competent living relatives who survived him, and it was subject to the rules of primogeniture. When a landholder died without any living relatives, his land would escheat to the Crown. The statute was something of a political compromise between Henry VIII and English landowners, who were growing increasingly frustrated with primogeniture and royal control of land.
