William Bull, Newport Pagnell, to John Sutcliff, Olney, 13 February 1796.

Sat. even’g Feb.y 13—96

My dear Sir

I sent for Mr Couch this morn’g & conversed with him near an hour on the nature of settlements & learn there two things,

         1) if there is any real estate there must of necessity be a Trustee otherwise the estate will go to the heirs at law of the husband,

          2) the particulars of the personal estate must be named & the several securities of the estate in the deed,

        3) there may be an article in the deed, whereby the parties while both are yet living, may revoke the first deed of settlement & make a new one if circumstances should render it desireable

         4) that said Trustee shall have no power to act while the parties are both living, I have desired Couch to wait on you on Monday morn’g, therefore keep in the way

My own opinion is, that the parties ought to take each others solemn promise, (or else not come together) about the personal estate, & as to the real, to have a Trustee & a settlement—with a reserved power to revoke the first deed of settlement, & make a new one, at any time hereafter, if the parties should be both agreed so to act—this will guard against every inconveniency arising from the death of the Trustee or any change in his temper—circumstances—or situation,

                                    I am Sir

                                                      your faithfull & affectionate

                                                                        Bror & Servt

                                                                             W. Bull

Text: Timothy Whelan, Baptist Autographs in the John Rylands University Library of Manchester, 1741-1845 (Macon: Mercer University Press, 2009), pp. 78-79 (annotated version); also Eng. MS. 369, fol. 19b, John Rylands University Library of Manchester.