In the early 18th century--did "Right of Dowery" refer only to property a woman had received from her father/mother/family? Did it always refer to a sort of prize--or bribe--for the groom? I had a theory about an ancestress being sort of an 'unwed mother in the snow', abandoned by her family, but then I found a deed in which she gave up her Right of Dowery" to the land involved. So I assume that she was probably given that land by her father when she married. Now I'm not sure why her maiden name was not mentioned in the record of her marriage. Any help would be appreciated. EC