Married woman and their landholdings: the evidence from feet of fines, 1310-1509

Yates, M. (2013) Married woman and their landholdings: the evidence from feet of fines, 1310-1509. Continuity and Change, 28 (2). pp. 163-185. ISSN 1469-218X doi: 10.1017/S0268416013000234

Abstract/Summary

Despite the recent expansion in studies of medieval women, uncertainty surrounds their married lives due to the social and legal constraints that existed at that time. Here it is argued that feet of fines provide a lens, albeit partial, on the activities of married women who were effectively managing the disposal and inheritance of their landed estates. At the same time the importance to the purchaser of ensuring the lawful acquisition of the property is also observed. As a result, greater insights into married women and their property in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries are obtained.