Some medieval marriage dowries in the Ormond Deeds
Niall
C.E.J. O’Brien
Marriage dowries in
medieval times fulfilled many different functions. The dowry of a bride added
to the estates of her husband and provided an income for his widow after his
death at a time when there was no state pension. The size of a dowry also showed
the wealth of the bride’s family. Evidence for marriage dowries in medieval
Ireland survive from across the country. In 1454-5, Isabella, daughter of Henry
Walsh, had a number of animals among the animals of her father which were
reserved to Isabella as her marriage dowry.[1] This
article examines a number of references to marriage dowries among the published
Ormond deeds.
The
12th century
In about 1183-1195
Alexander de Alneto gave the manor of Chamele to William de Marisco on the
marriage of his daughter Lucy to William. In return William de Marisco agreed
to pay Alexander 47½ marks as an aid to marry one of his daughters. If Lucy
died without children then William de Marisco was to have the manor at 6 marks
of yearly rent.[2]
The
13th century
In April 1267, Agnes,
widow of Henry Scurich, quit-claimed to Sir Ralph Pippard, and five others, the
land formerly owned by Henry Scurich at Glasmore and Clonurin (both in
Rathdowney parish) along with land at Killdelgi in the barony of Clarmallagh in
return for 20s while reserving a third part of the property as her dower lands.[3]
In about 1282 Hugh
Purcell quitclaimed to Sir Nicholas de Dunheved twelve librates of land in the
lordship of Ardcroile, parish of Aghaboe, on the marriage of Joan, daughter of Hugh,
to Nicholas. In return Nicholas gave Hugh land at Clonmin and Drummethan. Later
Nicholas and Joan granted the Purcell lands at Ardcroile to Sir Ralph Pippard.[4]
In 1292 Edmund, son of
Milo le Bret, quitclaimed to Sir Walter de la Haye and Alice his wife (who was
Edmund’s mother) lands in the manor of Cnoctochyr (Knocktopher) which Alice
held in dower.[5]
The
14th century
In June 1315, Johanna,
widow of Sir Augustine FitzRoger, granted all her land at Lisconegan, which she
held in dower to Sir Edmund le Botiller.[6]
In November 1331 Sir
Roger de Pembroke granted lands at Cappagh, Ballybrennan, Ballysinun and other
places in Stilylkar to Nicholas Cleyn and Margaret his wife, daughter of Sir
Roger, for the use of their cattle but not goats as part of a dowry settlement.[7] Another
dowry settlement was made in 1335 at Clonmel. In June 1335, Caterina Walche
(Walsh), relict of John Whyte, and her daughter Elicia granted all the lands
and rents which John Whyte held in the burgage of Clonmel town as a marriage
portion to Edmund Dowy.[8]
Sometime before October
1338, Johanna Severne acquired a third part of a messuage with appurtenances in
Rosponte as her dowry on the death of Philip Severne, her husband. In October
1338 Johanna quitclaimed this third of a messuage to Robert Dobard and Edussa
his wife. In about 1337 Philip Severne was sovereign of Rosponte.[9]
In 1369 Henry Kepagh,
chaplain, gave two thirds of all the messuages, rents and lands he held in
Kilblethyn (acquired by grant of Richard Moygne) along with the third portion
held by Johanna Shirbourne as her dower lands which she got by gift of her late
husband, Thomas Moygne, to Sibilla de Shuldham. If Sibilla left no heirs the
whole property was to go to Thomas de Shuldham, junior and to other named sons
of Thomas Shuldham.[10]
In January 1376, on the
marriage of Alice Forstall to Thomas FitzJohn of Corestown, her father (Richard
Forstall) and her brother (Geoffrey Forstall) agreed to pay Thomas twelve marks
in silver as her marriage portion.[11]
Elsewhere, previous to
1384 a woman called Petronilla was married to Walter le Poer. When Walter died,
Petronilla took seisin of a third of Walter’s estate at Rathgole as her dower
property. She still held this third part after her marriage to William
Kilrawyn. Meanwhile the government held the other two thirds of Walter’s estate
as Arnald le Poer, son and heir of Walter le Poer, was a minor. When Arnald
died, his brother Robert le Poer became next heir. In 1384 Robert le Poer took
William Kilrawyn and Petronilla to court before the seneschal of the Tipperary
Liberty claiming the full estate and that the third was not assigned to
Petronilla as her dower lands. A jury found in favour of Robert le Poer and
Petronilla was charged 10s as damages and was placed at the mercy of the court.
Petronilla didn’t appear at court when summon which didn’t help her case.[12]
In 1390 Robert, son of
John Gras of Erleystown quitclaimed to Walter son of William Coterell of Kells
sixty acres of land at Kiltravyn which previously belonged to Johanna, wife of
William Outlaw, senior, and William le Blound by gift of John Outlaw.[13]
These sixty acres were possibly part of a marriage dowry although the documents
remain silent on this.
The
15th century
In March 1402 Elena
Coll granted to Geoffrey Coterell of Grana all her lands in Grana forever along
with her lands at Shorthallstown. Also included in the grant was the reversion
of twenty acres of land in the barony of Kells which Anastasia Tobin held for
life as her dower property.[14] This
reversion may not have happened for several decades as widows sometimes long
outlived their deceased husbands. We are not told what the relationship between
Elena Coll and Anastasia Tobin was. Was Anastasia the mother of Elena or were
they cousins or was it just a business relationship? The Coterell family held
land at Shorthallstown since at least 1353 and Geoffrey Coterell may be a
relation of Elena or Anastasia or both.[15]
In July 1439, Joan,
daughter of William son of Philip Gibbon, granted the manor of Denghynmore in
the barony of Kells along with messuages, land and tenements in the tenement
Henry Whiteston in the same barony to James Butler, Earl of Ormond. Included in
the grant was the reversion of the dower property held by Margaret, widow of
William son of Gilbert Martyn, within the estate, which would revert to Joan on
the death of Margaret.[16] In
January 1413 William son of Philip Gibbon had quitclaimed to William son of
Gilbert Martyn eleven acres and three carucates of land with a further two
acres in the tenement of Henry Whiteston which land was divided into five
separate acres.[17]
The relationship between Joan Gibbon and Margaret Martyn is unknown just like
that of Elena Coll and Anastasia Tobin above. But another land transfer of 1456
may suggest that the women were daughters and mothers in both cases.
In November 1456
Katherine Roche, daughter and heir of Redmund Roche, late lord of The Rower,
granted all her property in The Rower to Redmund Roche, son of John Roche, to
have and hold by his male heirs. If Redmund left no male heirs, the property
would pass to other male relatives of the Roche family. Included in the
property transfer was the dower lands of Avelina, daughter of James Lysaght and
mother of Katherine Roche, which Avelina held in The Rower.[18] The
Roche family had interests in the area around The Rower since before 1278.[19]
The
16th century
In September 1524
Philip, son of Walter Hacket, gave lands at Gragfyerik to Cornelius and
Donatus, sons of William son of Matthew O’Karran, as a pledge of six horses and
sixty sheep which was the dowry of his sister.[20]
In April 1526 Elena
Walsh, alias Brenagh, the former wife of Thomas Purcell of Foulksrath, gave to
Thomas Butler, son of the Earl of Ormond, a third part of all the lands at Foulksrath,
Ballyroo, Culcrayn, Teganagh, Garran ne Parky and Suttonsrath along with a
third part of the farm at Clynystown in return for a yearly income of 26s 8d. These
lands were formerly owned by Thomas Purcell and were given to Elena Walsh as
her dower property.[21] The
Purcell family had only acquired Foulksrath in the late 14th century
when it came to an earlier Thomas Purcell by way of his mother Katherine de
Fraxineto, sister of Geoffrey de Fraxineto.[22] A
widow giving away her dower land in return for an annual income saved her a lot
of work in managing her estates, hiring staff, organising the planting of corn
and harvesting along with keeping the buildings in repair.
One of the last
references to dower property in the Ormond Deeds shows a wife giving a lease on
her dower property to an outsider while her husband was still alive. In 1550
Joan, Countess of Ormond, and her husband, Gerald FitzJames of Desmond, gave
John Aylward a lease of five years in return for 60 bushels of corn, viz. 30 of
wheat and 30 of oats along with summer sheep and a poundage hog with suit at
the Grenagh manor court.[23]
Conclusion
Most of the non-Butler
documents in the Ormond Deeds are usually once off pieces, or have a half dozen
associated documents, and so tracing the history behind each dower reference is
difficult. What they do show is that widows across the geography area of the
Ormond Deeds were ensured their dower property by society and by their family
for the most part. But there are apparent exceptions like a widow in Clonmel,
Margaret Roche, instructed by an ecclesiastical court to return a messuage in
Clonmel to an unnamed person, but in this case we are not told if the messuage
was part of her dower property or if she had rented it in her own business.[24] In
later centuries widows didn’t appear to have the same rights as their medieval
predecessors. With the state widow’s pension, the modern state has in some ways
relieved the successor of the property from having a third of the property
placed out of reach to the successor, for sometimes decades. May be in such
terms the medieval world was not too bad of a place for a widow and our modern
day sense of progress may be seen by some as reverse of progress.
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End of post
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[1]
Smith, B. (ed.), The register of Nicholas
Fleming, Archbishop of Armagh, 1404-1416 (Dublin, 2003), no. 263
[2] Curtis,
E. (ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds,
1172-1350 A.D. (Dublin, 1932), no. 6
[3]
Curtis (ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds,
1172-1350 A.D., no. 142
[4]
Curtis (ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds,
1172-1350 A.D., nos. 253, 256
[5]
Curtis (ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds,
1172-1350 A.D., nos. 305, 306
[6]
Curtis (ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds,
1172-1350 A.D., no. 509
[7]
Curtis (ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds,
1172-1350 A.D., no. 635
[8] Curtis
(ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds,
1172-1350 A.D., no. 676 = seen on 24th October 2013
[9]
Curtis (ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds,
1172-1350 A.D., nos. 687, 715
[10]
Curtis, E. (ed.), Calendar of Ormond
Deeds, volume II, 1350-1413 A.D. (Dublin, 1934), p. 113
[11]
Curtis (ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds,
volume II, 1350-1413 A.D., p. 146
[12]
Curtis (ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds,
volume II, 1350-1413 A.D., pp. 194, 195
[13]
Curtis (ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds,
volume II, 1350-1413 A.D., p. 211
[14]
Curtis (ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds, volume
II, 1350-1413 A.D., pp. 264, 265
[15]
Curtis (ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds,
volume II, 1350-1413 A.D., p. 9
[16]
Curtis, E. (ed.), Calendar of Ormond
Deeds, volume III, 1413-1509 A.D. (Dublin, 1935), p. 118
[17]
Curtis (ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds,
volume II, 1350-1413 A.D., p. 320
[18]
Curtis (ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds,
volume III, 1413-1509 A.D., p. 178
[19] Brooks,
E. St. J., Knight’s fees in Counties
Wexford, Carlow and Kilkenny, 13th-15th Century (Dublin,
1950), p. 150, note 2
[20] Curtis,
E. (ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds,
volume IV, 1509-1547 A.D. (Dublin, 1937), p. 98
[21] Curtis
(ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds, volume IV,
1509-1547 A.D., p. 108
[22] Brooks,
Knight’s fees in Counties Wexford, Carlow
and Kilkenny, 13th-15th Century, p. 186
[23] Curtis,
E. (ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds,
volume V, 1547-1584 A.D. (Dublin, 1941), p. 51
[24] Curtis
(ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds, volume IV,
1509-1547 A.D., p. 18
