The lawful age of marriage was fifteen for girls and eighteen for boys, the respective ages at which fosterage ended. Upon marriage, the families of the bride and bridegroom were expected to contribute to the match. It was custom for the bridegroom and his family to pay a "coibche" (modern spelling: "coibhche") and the bride was allowed a share of it. If the marriage ended owing to a fault of the husband then the "coibche" was kept by the wife and her family, but if the fault lay with the wife then the "coibche" was to be returned. It was custom for the bride to receive a "spréid" (modern spelling: "spréidh") from her family (or foster family) upon marriage. This was to be returned if the marriage ended through divorce or the death of the husband. Later, the "spréid" seems to have been converted into a dowry. Women could seek divorce/separation as easily as men could and, when obtained on her behalf, she kept all the property she had brought her husband during their marriage. Trial marriages seem to have been popular among the rich and powerful, and thus it has been argued that cohabitation before marriage must have been acceptable. It also seems that the wife of a chieftain was entitled to some share of the chief's authority over his territory. This led to some Gaelic Irish wives wielding a great deal of political power.