A deeply researched and geographically wide-ranging study that reveals that widows were much more economically and socially active than is often thought.

Introduction
Widows and Poverty
Widows, Legislation and Property
Assessing the Assets of the Widow
Life Interest, Usufruct or Pension, the Mainstay of the Widow?
Widows, Economy and Family
The Demography of Widowhood
Household Structure, Age. Social Status and Geography
Conclusion
Appendices
Bibliography

Beatrice Moring, Richard Wall