medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Thank you all for replying to the dowry question.
Since writing the question I have looked in the law book written
by 'Glanvill' late 12th century which details the legal implications of
dowry and inheriting land in considerable depth in England.
It is too detailed to recount in detail, though 'Glanvill' does say (Book
VI)
'The word 'dos' has two meanings. In common English law usage it means that
which a free man gives to his wife at the church door at the time of the
marriage. For every man is bound both by ecclesiastical and by secular law
to endow his wife at the time of his marriage. When a man endows his wife
either he nominates certain property as dower, or he does not. If he does
not nominate dower, then one third of the whole of his free tenement is
deemed to be her dower, and the reasonable dower of any woman is one third
of the whole of the free tenement of which her husband is seised in demense
at the time of the marriage ... [if the husband nominates dower] a man can
give less but not more that one third of his tenement in dower.'
[The automatic assumption of 1/3 of demense lands as dower if dower is not
nominated is surely a powerful incentive to nominate dower!]
Book VII
In Roman law the word 'dos' has a different meaning; there 'dos' is
properly used for that which is given with a woman to her husband, which is
commonly called 'matigium', a marriage portion. Every free man who has land
can give a certain part of his land with his daughter, or with any other
woman, as a marriage-portion ...
From my own knowledge the first meaning of the man giving the woman land is
unusual in practice and it was the second 'marriage portion' which became
more of the norm. Does anyone know of examples of the man giving the woman
land?
Thanks
Chris Daniell
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