How frustrating
 

I'm (still) trying to unravel a Chancery case, which has led me to transcribe many pages of documents.

Last week the very helpful archivist at the Mechanics' Institute Neath sent me photocopies of

NAS Gw 5/7, 8> Marriage Settlement after the marriage of Richard Powell and Sarah by Lease and Release dated 16 and 17 Feb. 1747; (i) Richard Powell of Neath, gent., and Sarah his wife ....

I have been transcribing it - I have done one document with no further information coming to light and I have just started the second. I am trying to establish who Sarah Powell was and how she came to leave her inheritance to her niece Ann Evans, the sister of OH's 4x gt grandmother.

It goes:
"Witnesseth that for and in Consideration of a Marriage already had and solempnized between the said Richard Powell and ...."

Great - here comes his wife Sarah and her maiden name! (I thought)

".... Sarah his Wife and for selling and conveying of all and singular the Messuages ...."


:(:(:( This document mentions all the properties (lots of them) and land involved, but nowhere have I found any personal details about the couple. All I wanted was her maiden name and perhaps her father!

A very good, helpful contact has highlighted this marriage, which is probably my couple:

1745 Richard Powell, gent. Cowbridge mar. Sarah Easton at Brecon, Breconshire

"Eason" (not Easton) was a family name in OH's Lamb family.

Do you know how Ann Evans is her niece, or is that what you were trying to discover?

I have Eastons in my tree (one of my gg-grandmothers was one), but as they were ag labs from Somerset I doubt they have missed out on a share of Sarah's estate, if that is her marriage!! lol

I have had that frustration with names happen lots of times - I have refused to quickly scan through a document looking for names and have carefully transcribed from the beginning, so as to fully appreciate my transcribing efforts, only to get to something about "my long-suffering wife" (no name) or "all my children" or the "daughters of my brother". The most frusrating one I remember said "my wife's sister Elizabeth" (no surname and no first name for the wife either!). Of course if you already know the names of the family they always seem to be detailed in full in the document.

Merry, I haven't a clue who the parents of Anne Evans are (nor of her sisters or half-sisters Susanna, Jemima and Mary and their nameless brother)!

All I know is that Sarah Powell (maiden name unknown, possibly Eason or Easton) and her husband Richard Powell died, Richard first, and that the estate passed to Anne Evans who married William Bassett.

The marriage I was given is probably correct because the documents I'm transcribing mentioned lots of property in the County of Brecon. (However, Richard Powell is also said to be "Richard Powell of Neath".)

By the time I have finished transcribing these documents, I will have spent 2 days on them, and I doubt I shall get any further!

I think my only option is to establish ownership of the lands etc before 1745 to see if this leads me to Sarah's father (assuming it was he who had them).

Elizabeth - I can only sympathise.

My ex's family have a Chancery case from 1799 which I can't understand, about a revoked codicil to a Will. It mentions lots of people I know are related BUT it doesn't explain how they are related and its driving me nuts! One Juliana is listed with her married name but it doesn't give her husband and I don't know if its the Juliana who is a sister or the Juliana who is an aunt of my ex's direct rellie!

Nell, isn't it typical, the one snippet of information you really need isn't there!

I've almost finished now and the second document is already nearly 3,000 words long, with probably another 300 words to go! Most of this document is about what happens if the couple have children, if they are sons, if they are daughters, if they die, if there are none...... every eventuality is covered! I don't think they had any children, which is why the inheritance passed to the niece.

I have learnt to be patient, though!:d

Was Ann Evans single and do you know if she married?

Merry, Ann Evans married William Bassett in 1776 at St Clement Danes, London. The Evans sisters all married in London.

She died in 1782 at Neath without issue.
William Bassett married Jane Lloyd in 1789.

William Bassett died in 1796 without issue and his widow Jane took the inheritance for her own.

Hence the Chancery Case. William Bassett's brother contested it, and also the sisters of Ann Evans (Susannah, Jemima and Mary) and their husbands. OH's Lamb family in Huntingdon ended up with some property in Wales (don't know precisely what it was).

If Richard Powell was described as a gentleman, he is likely to appear on a pedigree somewhere. Idle googling seems to suggest that a Richard Powell of Neath was amongst the great and the good.

It seems slightly odd that a marriage settlement would take place so long after the marriage. Usually there are parties to it whose names declare them to be the bride's friends.

Do you know who owned the land before the marriage settlement? Was it Richard?

Phoenix, I'm not so sure it is a Marriage Settlement, more a lease and release of lands etc. I don't know which party brought the property to the marriage but Sarah is named throughout the documents. Would this imply that it was she who brought the property to the marriage? It specifies:

"And in Default of such Issue to such person or persons as the said Sarah shall by her last Will and Testament duly executed in the presence of three Credible and literate Witnesses Devise and bequeath the same notwithstanding her Coverture for Want of such Devise To the use and Behoof of the right Heirs of the said Sarah the Wife of the said Richard Powell for ever and to and for no other Use Intent or Purpose whatsoever "

i.e. if Richard and Sarah have no children Sarah can leave property to whoever she likes - which she did by leaving it to her niece Ann Evans.

Would this make you think that Sarah brought the property to the marriage?

The purpose of a marriage settlement is to provide financial security for a woman. That security could be by retaining property she brought to the marriage (which would usually be sorted out at the same time as she married) or as an afterthought, which would imply that it was by the generosity of the husband.

It was just wishful thinking on my part that if you could find out who had the land previously, there might be an Eas(t)on amongst the names.