Dear Listers, I'm having great difficulty with the handwriting in the 1802 will of Mary Ward of West Grinstead. She was the widow of Richard Ward (1724 - 1799), and as far as I know they did not have any children. The only marriage I can find that could fit is a clandestine marriage at the Fleet, July 19th 1749, of Richard Ward to Mary Bailey. The marriage record has no further details, not even their place of residence, so I would really like to find some other evidence of Mary's maiden name. Her will (which is on Ancestry) mentions a number of individuals, but its very hard to correctly transcribe their names. The first name of interest is in the 5th line where she says "and I give and bequeath unto my Cousin William Dent (?) of Westgrinstead in the county aforesaid (Sussex) husbandman.." I cannot find a William Dent born in the right period anywhere in Sussex, and there is no William Dent in the SMI. As it happens I already have a William Dent from a later period on my tree as I have a Kate Ward marrying a William Dent in Brighton in 1891, but this William Dent came all the way from Northumberland and his parents came from there too. A couple of lines later Mary Ward says "unto Mary ----- the wife of Allen ---- of Ditchling in the said county plumber and glazier the sum of fifty pounds", then she says "and unto John ---- --- of Hurstpierpoint. Can anyone help me to correctly transcribe these names (and any others in the will they care to look at!)? Many Thanks Neal Ward 9743