The dowry could consist in feudal rights, patrimonial assets, censuses and other revenues, precious garments, personal and house linen, silvervare and jewels, things all that were estimated with exactness because they formed and increased the dowry. The woman could dispose of her dowry, when there was a just cause, only with the consent of her husband or, in his absence, of the sons, to participate to the formation of the dowry of the daughters, respecting the criterion to safeguard the patrimony.
The dowry is one of the main aspects of the nobility: the women who marry carry dowries above all in cash. Lands and homes will remain to their eldest brother, who will have the task of maintaining the family's surname. The dowries (and consequently the women) become, therefore, strong instruments and elements for dealings and economic alliances between the different families.
In a notary deed concerning a dowry apart from all the list of the properties with their value, which would be of cultural and historical significance, there would appear: name of the father and daughter, name of the future husband and of his father. In case the woman's father was deceased, in the deed would appear her brothers.
And often a final section would appear, the "bona parafernalia" that is, the properties that were given to the bride on the occasion of the wedding mostly as personal gifts from brothers and sisters, relatives, inlaw's, grandparents... and these gifts were to be treated differently in the law, that is, the bride could do whatever she liked with them, while the dowry was a kind of non-cashable check under the control of her husband. These gifts used to mention details and relationship of the giver, which to genealogical purposes is like finding a gold mine, the more so when the research has already reached back to the period when parish records are scanty or non-existant.
Interestingly, a dowry deed was made also for nuns, when they took the vows, and the dowry more often tahn not was donated to their monastery.