Dowry, dower or Jointure? | Tudor Life and Times | Forum
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8:54 pm
November 18, 2010
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It was not just Jane's beauty and innocence that attracted Henry,
however. She also came with a handsome dowry: 104 manors in 19 counties,
five castles and several chases and forests.
I've been looking at many online sources about Jane Seymour since Clarebear's query about Jane being at the French court*. I have come across this claim several times. It seems a lot for an improvrished knight to dower onto his daughter.
Other sources including Alison Weir give those figures along with the revenues of bear-pits and brothels in Southwark as part of the jointure.
IIRC, dowry was paid to the groom's family for the brides upkeep, dower was the monies used to support the bride during the period she was married and jointure was paid by the groom( or his family) in order to provide for the bride after the groom's death.
Am I right to think that these figures refer to Henry's gifts and not Jane's dowry at all?
* Many of the sites that claim Jane was in France, claim a large dowry and Jane being married at Wulfhall. I have a seperate thread about that in the Six Wives forum.
It's always bunnies.
2:04 am
August 12, 2009
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Also, when was Jane ever described as beautiful?
"Don't knock at death's door.
Ring the bell and run. He hates that."
7:22 am
August 2, 2010
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I don't believe she was beautiful. Her portraits didn't seem beautiful and, unlike Anne, she was small, plain, and the typical English girl. Nothing special; not hideous. But not beautiful.
"Grumble all you like, this is how it's going to be"
11:09 am
July 9, 2009
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Jane was certainly not beautiful. Even Chapuys said so. I heard the figures you refer to, Anyanka, as Henry's jointure to Jane. I forget now where I read it but I was under the impression that Jane didn't bring much to the marriage at all.
Ainsi sera, groigne qui groigne.
11:54 am
February 24, 2010
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I think it was in Alison Weir's Henry VIII, where she says that Jane was the oldest of eight children and that her father had no dowry for her and that was one of the reasons why she was not married. Henry aquired many places that year from different people including one from Brandon. She also says that Henry had owned the brothel. Baynard Castle was one of the places Jane received in jointure.
Wreckmaster, are you just being polite? I see no beauty in Jane. I don't recall anyone ever reporting she was pretty either. The opposite was true. People said she was quite plain.
1:36 pm
August 2, 2010
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I agree with Sharon. When I see her portrait I don't see any beauty either; and she was constantly described as 'plain.' Certainly never 'beautiful', never even 'pretty' as much.
"Grumble all you like, this is how it's going to be"
10:12 pm
November 18, 2010
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Am I the only one who finds it strange(?) that Henry gave his bride* the revenues from brothels??
* since several of his wives had the same settlement.
It's always bunnies.
10:52 pm
October 31, 2010
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Nothing Henry did surprises me. Revenues from brothels? Sure–why not?
"We mustn't let our passions destroy our dreams…"
11:19 am
February 24, 2010
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I read the brothel part over and over to make sure I had it right. I figured Henry probably loved the fact that he owned a brothel. Or maybe Kings owned things like that and no one would have given it a second thought.
6:42 pm
August 12, 2009
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Sharon said:
I read the brothel part over and over to make sure I had it right. I figured Henry probably loved the fact that he owned a brothel. Or maybe Kings owned things like that and no one would have given it a second thought.
It does seem weird to me, since prostitution was illegal. I'm reading Dark Fire, and it describes how prostitutes were branded with a “w” for “whore” on their cheeks. Did that really happen?
"Don't knock at death's door.
Ring the bell and run. He hates that."
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