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A dower house is usually a moderately large house available for use by the widow of the previous owner of an English, Scottish, Welsh or Irish estate. The widow, often known as the "dowager", usually moves into the dower house from the larger family house on the death of her husband if the heir is married, and upon his marriage if he was single at his succession. The new heir occupies the now vacated principal house.
The dower house might also be occupied by an elder son after his marriage, or simply rented to a tenant.[1]
- ^ Barley, M.W. "Rural Building in England". In The Agrarian History of England and Wales, Vol. 5, p. 638. Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge (1985).