In popular usage, an heirloom is something that has been passed down for Generation through family members. Examples are a family bible, , or jewellery.
The term originated with the historical principle of an heirloom in English law, a chattel which by immemorial usage was regarded as annexed by inheritance to a family estate. Loom originally meant a tool. Such genuine heirlooms were almost unknown by the beginning of the twentieth century.
English legal history
In the English legal system, any owner of a genuine heirloom could dispose of it during his lifetime, but he could not
bequest it by will away from the estate. If the owner died
intestate, it went to his
heir-at-law, and if he devised the estate it went to the devisee. The word subsequently acquired a secondary meaning, applied to furniture, pictures,
etc., vested in trustees to hold on trust for the person for the time being entitled to the possession of a
settled land. Such things were more properly called settled chattels.
As of 1 January 1997, no further
settled land can be created and the remaining pre-existing settlements have a declining importance in English law.
[Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996, s.2]
An heirloom in the strict sense was made by family custom, not by settlement. A settled chattel could be sold under the direction of the court, and the money arising under such sale is capital money.[Settled Land Act 1882] The court would only sanction such a sale, if it could be shown that it was to the benefit of all parties concerned and if the article proposed to be sold was of unique or historical character. The court had regard to the intention of the settlor and the wishes of the remainder man.[ Re Hope, Dr Cello v. Hope 1899 2 Ch. 679 ]
Southeast Asia
Pusaka is a
Sanskrit word meaning heirloom. Within
Javanese people Kejawen culture and other Austronesian cultures affected by it, known as the
Malay people, but most specifically the inhabitants of modern-day
Indonesia and
Malaysia (Minangs),
,
Bataks,
Bugis,
Manado, Minang,
Moro people,
Pampangan,
Tagalog language and many others,
pusaka specifically refers to family heirlooms inherited from
, which must be treasured and protected. These
pusaka may have individual names, honorific titles and may have
supernatural attributes and qualities. The possessor of the
pusaka may be positively or negatively affected by the
pusaka, depending on the will or spirit of the item.
The Javanese warrior-king Mangkunegara I's keris was a pusaka so powerful that merely pointing at the distant China, Netherlands or other enemies, it would snatch their souls and leave them dead on the battlefield. Allegedly, former President Suharto held possession of this powerful pusaka and had Indonesia scoured for the many pusaka lost to time, including, according to rumours, the mask of Gadjah Mada, several tombak (pikes and lances) and many keris, to affirm his legitimacy as a modern pseudo-king.
In literature
The plot of the Anthony Trollope novel
The Eustace Diamonds hinges on the heirloomic status (or not) of a diamond necklace.
See also
External links
