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Article: TRACING DOWERS MAY BE CONFUSING, MISLEADING.(Lifestyle)
- Article from:
- Seattle Post-Intelligencer
- Article date:
- October 2, 1997
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Seattle Post-Intelligencer. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of the Dialog Corporation by Gale Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The custom of a dowry dates back to ancient Europe. In Roman times, it was the legal right of a woman to demand one from her father. The dowry, at first, was given to the husband to help defray the expenses of setting up the new household.
In England a dower was often a part of the marriage settlement. It was known before the Norman conquest, and was reorganized under the Magna Carta signed by King John in 1215. Additionally, in civil-law countries, the dowry was a well-known and important form of property. Dowry and dower are terms that are confused. Dowry refers to the money, goods or estate that a wife brought to her husband at marriage, while dower is a legal ...