The relationship between Jeffrey Lyons and the two Henry Lyonses is never quite stated, but the committee report, as summarized in the PC register, suggests that he was the son of Henry (1) and the brother and heir of Henry (2). How Elizabeth’s dower ended up in the estate of Henry (1) is not explained. If we remember the common-law rule that the widow is not entitled to possession of her dower until it was assigned to her by her husband’s heir, then we would expect that Elizabeth’s dower would be in the estate of Henry (2) not of Henry (1). Considering how rare common-law dower was in this period, however, perhaps we should imagine that Elizabeth’s dower was not common-law dower, but a jointure, which the elder Henry had promised to pay and which remained a debt of his estate. The Privy Council’s decree affirms the Chancery court’s order that Elizabeth is entitled to ‘dower’ out of Henry (1)’s estate, but subjects it to a proportional reduction by the debts of the estate and the legacies made in the will. Compare JAM_1768_02, where the committee report says that the widow’s annuity in lieu of dower should come out of the estate of her late husband, but the APC mistakenly says that it should come out of that of another man. See Additional Research on JAM_1768_02.

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