dower house

the dwelling that is intended for or occupied by the widowed mother of the owner of an ancestral estate.

Origin of dower house

First recorded in 1860–65

dowel, doweling, dowell, dower, dower chest, dower house, dowery, dowf, dowie, dowitcher, dowland

I brought them from the dower-house, where I and my sisters lived for a number of years.

The Eldest Son |Archibald Marshall
After all, the dower-house was much too large and there were only two of them left.

The Squire's Daughter |Archibald Marshall
Then he asked shortly, "Do you mean that I'm not to have the dower-house, after all?"

The Eldest Son |Archibald Marshall
Your father's idea is that he shall live here, at the dower-house, and help him with the estate management.

The Eldest Son |Archibald Marshall

But there's one at the dower-house—an old man in one boot who goes about looking for the other one.

The Eldest Son |Archibald Marshall

dower house

a house set apart for the use of a widow, often on her deceased husband's estate