I saw the wonderful, wonderful Magna Carta in Salisbury, and was blown away by its amazingness. Amongst the provisions were protection for widows - there was a mandated forty-day break before they could be ousted from their house (ie when it had been inherited by the heir) and they had to be paid their dower by then - and they couldn't be forced to marry anyone, which apparently had happened before then, in an attempt to get hold of the widow's property.
(She got her dower even if her husband died in debt - her dower came before paying the debts. Even middle or lower classes, who wouldn't have a formal dowry, were guaranteed a "reasonable share" of the estate.)
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Amongst the provisions were protection for widows - there was a mandated forty-day break before they could be ousted from their house (ie when it had been inherited by the heir) and they had to be paid their dower by then - and they couldn't be forced to marry anyone, which apparently had happened before then, in an attempt to get hold of the widow's property.
(She got her dower even if her husband died in debt - her dower came before paying the debts. Even middle or lower classes, who wouldn't have a formal dowry, were guaranteed a "reasonable share" of the estate.)