Widow-Right In Durham, England (1349–1660)

Abstract

A customary tenant’s widow in County Durham had a right to his holdings for her life, and did not forfeit the lands for remarriage or fornication in contrast to customs found elsewhere in England. In this case study of three neighbouring villages, more than 80 per cent of widows with the option exercised this right, and did so consistently over three centuries. The persistence of this pattern indicates that widows as tenants were common and capable of cultivating or managing holdings. It suggests complex interconnections of gender with local social and economic structures, which include marriage, migration, and household formation.

Publication Date

8-1-2018

Publication Title

Continuity and Change

Volume

33

Issue

2

Number of Pages

173-201

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1017/S0268416018000127

Socpus ID

85056142312 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85056142312

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