Charles William Sloane

“ These courts, notwithstanding the English common law, by which the property of a wife became on marriage the property of her husband, assigned to a wife who was compelled to live apart from her husband a portion of his income for her maintenance or alimony. ”

“ But as the Bishop's permission was required for the erection of a church, he had to pronounce upon the sufficiency of its endowment unde digne domus Dei sustentaretur (that the house of God should thereby be worthily supported) , and the nominee was to be presented to him and approved of by him. The right of presentation constituted an advowson presentative. In those rude ages there followed on this right to nominate, the duty to defend, to become advocatus or advowee, champion or protector of the church of which the patron had named the incumbent. ”

“ In course of time parochial churches arose, in some places through the liberality of the inhabitants, in other places by the action of the bishops themselves. By the eighth century, it is said, great lords, such as the lords of manors, had begun to build and endow churches for the use of their families and tenants, or friends. ”

“ Marriage; Phillimore, The Ecclesiastical Law of the Church of England (2d ed., London, 1895) , 638, 642; Merrick, Revised Civil Code of the State of Louisiana (New Orleans, 1900) , art. 230; for Scotch law, Watson-Bell, Dictionary and Digest of the Law of Scotland, (Edinburgh, 1890) s. v. Aliment. ”