Legal Definitions - coheiress

A coheiress is a female who, along with one or more other individuals, is entitled to inheritproperty, a title, or an estate. This term is used when an inheritance is divided among multiple heirs, and at least one of those heirs is female.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Example 1: Dividing a Family Estate
  After a wealthy individual passes away without a will, their substantial real estate holdings and financial assets are to be divided equally among their three children: two daughters and one son. In this scenario, both daughters would be considered coheiresses to the estate, as they are inheriting jointly with their brother.

  This example demonstrates the term because the two daughters are female individuals who are inheriting a share of the same estate alongside another heir, thus sharing the inheritance.

• Example 2: Joint Inheritance of a Specific Asset
  A grandmother's will specifies that her valuable collection of antique porcelain dolls, which she wished to keep together, should be jointly owned by her two granddaughters. Both granddaughters would be considered coheiresses to this specific collection.

  This illustrates the term by showing two female relatives inheriting a particular asset together, sharing ownership rather than each receiving a separate, distinct item from the collection.

• Example 3: Historical Succession to Land
  In a historical context, if a landed gentry family had no male heirs, and the family's extensive agricultural lands were to be divided equally between the two surviving daughters according to local custom or a specific family settlement, each daughter would be a coheiress to those lands.

  This example highlights the historical application of the term, where two female individuals jointly inherit significant property, often in the absence of male heirs, sharing the rights and responsibilities associated with the land.