Uncle Dashwood is the deceased uncle of Henry Dashwood and great uncle of John, Elinor, Marianne and Margaret Dashwood. He did marry at one time, but had no male children.
We are told he spent the last ten years of his life as a widower, with his sister serving as housekeeper. Over this time, he connects with his nephew and heir Henry Dashwood, even inviting him to move to Norland with his second wife and daughters.
Uncle Dashwood was the master of Norland Park in Sussex during his life. When he finally dies, he leaves the estate to Henry “on such terms as destroyed half the value of the bequest.” The narrator suggests that this arrangement was due in part to the attractions of John and Fanny Dashwood’s infant son Henry, who engaged the heart of the old man. Because the entail was written to preserve young Henry Dashwood’s inheritance, the elder Henry Dashwood is unable to raise capital for his daughters “by any charge on the estate, or by any sale of its valuable woods,” per the terms of the inheritance.
