Lot Essay
A tontine, named after the Neapolitan, Lorenzo Tonti, was an annuity with multiple subscribers whose proceeds were paid to the last surviving member (or, alternately, until a specified date when surviving subscribers would share the proceeds). The subscriber could nominate either his own life or that of another; the income could be paid to the subscriber or his nominee, while the original capital could be invested in various ways, such as buying land.