Inheritance and Influence: Heiresses and the Montagu Property Network, circa 1749‐1827

AbstractThe Montagu property network was inherited by two successive heiresses in the eighteenth century: Mary, duchess of Montagu, and her daughter Elizabeth, duchess of Buccleuch. The inheritance of a large property network by these women had a profound effect on both the use of the properties and the extent to which both women were able to assert their own agency through their management. The heiress remains a surprisingly understudied figure in eighteenth‐century historiography, but by using the Montagu duchesses as a case study, the heiress will be brought to the forefront of attention, demonstrating the influence that heiresses could have over property, even within marriage.