as shown in one of the Restoration Home properties: father died leaving daughter £20,000 if she waited to full age (16 at the time) to marry £10,000 if she married earlier. She was 12 when he died - mother married her off within the year (presumably getting to keep the other £10,000 herself) to a member of the nobility who promptly took off with the cash and spent it on his European tour most of which seems have to have involved gambling and other nefarious pursuits - leaving here at home in his stately pile penniless. As her property became his on marriage she would not have been able to do anything about Wendy -----Original Message----- From: Bridget Hole Sent: Saturday, August 20, 2011 10:54 AM To: BERKSHIRE rootsweb Subject: [BRK] 18th century marriages These 'agreeable young ladies, with a considerable fortune' would not even have had the backup of a pre-nuptial agreement !! www.royalmaidenhead.co.uk ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to BERKSHIRE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message