Series L 4 - Brettargh v. Morgan

This cause in Chancery was brought forward by Mary Brettargh, widow, plaintiff, the administrix of her late sister Ann Bryan and administrix de bonis non with the will attached of Thomas Bryan, gent., dec., against Thomas Morgan and John Morgan, esqs, William Jones and Elizabeth his wife, Phillip Thomas and Thomas Daniel, defendants. The cause is a side-issue of Morgan v. Morgan (Tredegar L 1).

Thomas Bryan had been steward of the Tredegar estates in Monmouthshire, Breconshire and elsewhere from his appointment in 1744 until 1769, serving under William Morgan (d. 1763), General Thomas Morgan (d. 1766) and Thomas Morgan. The estates were chargeable with Lady Rachel Morgan's annuity of £2,000, which Thomas Bryan paid out of the rents of the estates. The case of Morgan v. Morgan, later Morgan v. Jones, arose out of a dispute relating to the payment of the annuity, and a master's report stated that there appeared to be £600 due from Thomas Bryan to William Jones on account of the annuity. In 1769 a writ of execution was issued out of Chancery against Thomas Bryan for neglecting to pay the money. To prevent the execution of the writ, Thomas Morgan prevailed on Thomas Bryan to execute a deed conveying all his personal estate, and freehold, leasehold and customary lands to Thomas Morgan until the "Roman Catholic Storm" (as Morgan called the cause) had passed over.

Thomas Bryan died in 1772, before any account was settled between him and Thomas Morgan. He had made his will, making Charles Morgan, Thomas Morgan and Phillip Thomas or one of them his executors. Thomas Bryan's wife Ann died intestate a few days later. Phillip Thomas was Thomas Bryan's next-of-kin, as well as the brother of Ann Bryan and of the plaintiff. Thomas Daniel, another defendant, was married to a sister of the plaintiff. With the help of Phillip Thomas and Thomas Daniel, an account was drawn up in 1776 between the representatives of Thomas Bryan and Charles and John Morgan.

The plaintiff disputed the account, and petitioned that the defendants return all of Thomas Bryan's papers, and to come to a full account and to pay her the balance. The original bill was filed in 1777, but the surviving papers date from 1780.