tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16981893.post2897985798769451208..comments2024-03-23T15:35:20.874-05:00Comments on Tudor Q and A: Question from Annette - Lower gentry and dowriesLarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16630629272030282584noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16981893.post-82348028509670899532015-01-27T17:17:29.537-06:002015-01-27T17:17:29.537-06:00There was no fixed formula for determining the for...There was no fixed formula for determining the form or the size of a dowry. It might be in the form of land, or goods and chattels (movable property), or (far less commonly) money, or a combination of two or more of these. It might also be quite small, especially if the bride brought something important but less tangible to the match ... social connections, exceptional beauty, etc. My suspicion is that the lower one was on the socio-economic scale, the more likely the dowry was to consist of simple goods and chattels for domestic use and to be quite small.<br /><br />As for the length of the negotiations, they almost certainly ran the gamut from mere minutes to several weeks. I would think that the less one had to offer in the way of real property and money, the shorter the negotiations would have been. Conversely, the longer the negotiations took, the more likely they were to fail in the end.<br /><br />You might also want to consider the jointure, or what the groom/husband agreed to provide to the bride/wife for her use and maintenance in the event he died before her. Same parameters apply.PhD Historianhttp://www.somegreymatter.comnoreply@blogger.com