14. The Incentives for the Women Who Agreed to Immigrate to Jamestown
In 17th Century England, both men and women had to be wealthy to get married. Women would often have to work as domestic servants for years before they had enough finances and stability to marry. However, all the English women needed to do to marry a colonist was apply to become a Jamestown Bride and take the journey to Jamestown. Because most women did not want to work as a domestic servant for years, the women found the marriage immigration offer much more appealing. To many English women, this was a big motivation when deciding whether to apply to marry a colonist in Jamestown or stay in England.
However, this was not the only incentive the Virginia Company offered English women who would apply to go to Jamestown to help build the colony. The females who signed up were also provided with free transportation to the province, a plot of land, and a dowry of clothing, linens, and other furnishings. On top of this, the women would be able to pick their own husband and provided with shelter and food while they made their decision. The women were even allowed to meet and entertain the men of the colony before they made their decision on whom they would marry.