Dear Listers, I have found a Statutory Notice in a 1893 newspaper that refers to a Settlement in favour of Philly Mann of Brighton dated 27th April 1865, a couple of weeks before she married my grandfather's brother Thomas Ward, a builder. Philly Ward died on 22nd February 1893, and according to a subsequent advertisement, the trustees of the Marriage Settlement offered several properties in Brighton for sale by auction. These were 28 Chatham Place, 3 Bath Street (where Philly Ward died), 45 Red Cross Street, 20 Kingsbury road, and 25, 26 and 27 Jersey Street. I would very much like to learn more about these houses and how Philly Mann came by them. I strongly suspect that Philly, who came from a lowly family in Mayfield, and, as a servant was convicted of larceny in 1845 and served 4 months imprisonment, later became the mistress of a wealthy benefactor, with whom she had 8 illegitimate children. I would love to find out who he was! She had a further 2 children with Thomas Ward in 1864 and 1867, and most of her children were privately educated. The trustees names are given as George Ansell and Albert Chapman. George Ansell was a kinsman of Thomas Ward, and George and his wife had been witnesses at Thomas and Philly's marriage in 1865. I don't know anything about Albert Chapman. Apart from the newspaper report in 1893 (which does not make it clear whether Thomas is still in Brighton, or even if he is still alive), I cannot find any more references to Thomas Ward after the birth of his second child in 1867. My understanding is that Marriage Settlements, unlike Wills, were private documents and are unlikely to have survived, but it is possible that the 19th century ownership of the above mentioned houses are recorded in the title deeds. I would be grateful for any comments or advice. Neal Ward 9743