A Comparison of the Status of Widows in Eighteenth-Century England and Colonial America.

This thesis compares the status of upper-class widows in England to Colonial America. The common law traditions in England established dower, which was also used in the American colonies. Dower guaranteed widows the right to one-third of the land and property of her husband. Jointure was instituted in England in 1536 and enabled men to bypass dower and settle a yearly sum on a widow. The creation of jointure was able to proliferate in England due to the cash-centered economy, but jointure never manifested itself in Colonial America because of the land centered economy. These two types of inheritance form the background for the argument that upper-class women in Colonial America had more legal and economical freedoms than their brethren in England.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of North Texas

Year dc:date

2004

Author dc:creator

• Jones, Sarah E.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Morris, Marilyn
• Chet, Guy
• Stern, Laura

• Widows -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- Great Britain.
• Widows -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- United States.
• inheritance
• 18th century British women
• 18th century American women
• dower
• jointure
• widows

Statement dc:rights

• Public
• Copyright
• Jones, Sarah E.
• Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

oclc: 55874312
https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4507/
ark: ark:/67531/metadc4507

OAI identifier oai:identifier

info:ark/67531/metadc4507