Where did the 'childless rich uncle dying and having no one but a very distant nephew to solely inherit his riches' come from?

by Logan_Maddox

I guess this is as much of a literary question as a historical one, but was this some kind of common occurance? I've mostly seen it being a rich uncle. Is this just to symbolize that these relatives prioritized their careers rather than their family? Or did this reflect an actual phenomenom?

Thanks!

harrybotter213

This happened to at least one person in Early Modern England, Oliver Cromwell. While originally apart of the landed gentry, his father had lost some money and died and Oliver moved away from his birthplace to live on reduced means. However in 1636, he uncle on his mom's side died and left him with estates that brought in about three to four hundred pounds a year.

Gaunt, Peter. "The Reputation of Oliver Cromwell in the 19th century", Parliamentary History, Oct 2009, Vol. 28 Issue 3, pp 425–428