Nations where the nobility became quite large, soon found themselves with a noble underclass. France, and even England, had fief holders who did their own farming because they were too poor to obtain tenants or serfs to do it. In nations where a noble's property was distributed among all male heirs, the bulk of the nobility soon became impoverished. Poland was a classic example of this. France and England had the custom of primogeniture, where all the family wealth went to the eldest son. This kept the estates intact, albeit some provision was usually made for the younger children. The younger ofspring had several options. Usually one of the boys went into the Church and one became more or less a professional warrior. If there were girls, a couple might be married off (if there was enough money to provide a dowery), but relegation to a convent was not unusual.