Mary Wisdom Wedderburn (née Bedward)

Mary Wisdom Bedward was the daughter and heiress of George Bedward of Spring Garden estate, Westmoreland. Her mother Susannah was the heiress of Robert Rutherford, former owner of Spring Garden. She was born at Ridgeland, co. Cornwall, Jamaica but returned to live permanently in Britain with her husband in 1789. In her final years she lived with her daughter Mary and son-in-law Rev. John Wellings in Epsom.

Her husband left her an annuity of £2000, which replaced their marriage settlement agreement of £800 Jamaica currency. She was also given possession for life of their house in Chigwell Row, although in a codicil her husband directed that this be sold and the proceeds used to buy his wife a house of her choice.

Her substantial annuity later became a central issue in the Chancery case Lyon v Colvile, as the plaintiff argued his debt should take priority over her annuity.

Alexander Wedderburn, The Wedderburn Book: a history of the Wedderburns in the counties of Berwick and Forfar, designed of Wedderburn, Kingennie, Easter Powrie, Blackness, Balindean and Gosford, 1296-1896 (Published privately, 1898), p. 345.

PROB 11/1640/114.

Lyon v Colvile, Reports of cases decided in High Court of Chancery, Vol.28, 1851, p.456