I read that this legal technique has also been used in Japan as a proxy for Gay Marriage.
It’s somewhat sad to read that after 1430 years being family run the oldest company on this list went into liquidation in 2006 and was acquired
Most of the oldest UK ones are pubs, which perhaps says something about British culture.
Or the durability of the value proposition and ability to keep a sufficient number of people interested in keeping the establishment open. Maybe something about the economics of commercial real estate and tax policy in England help survival during downturns.