1 Del. Ch. 457 | Orphan's Court of Delaware | 1822
By the marriage article the petitioner agreed to take, in case she should survive her husband, Joseph Farrow, one-third of his personal estate, “ in lieu in and full satisfaction of her third or “ portion of his real or personal estate.” Before and at the time of the marriage, Joseph Farrow was greatly in debt,—far beyond the value of his personal estate. He died about the 12th of December, 1821. (Jn the 1st and 2d of January, 1822, his whole personal estate was sold by the sheriff, under execution process, originally issued the 8th of September, 1818, the day of the" marriage ; and no part of it has been or ean be applied according to this contract. The wife was twenty-one years old at her marriage.
On the part of the respondents, two grounds were taken, viz ;
I. That the Act of Assembly did not give to this Court jurisdiction in every case of dower ; that in many of them very important questions of law may arise which, if entertained by this Court, may be settled without going into and being heard and finally determined by the High Court of Errors and Appeals. And it was suggested that, on the allegation of fraud made by the petitioner’s counsel, the Court should send that question to be tried by a jury.
2. It was contended that the wife, before marriage, might bind herself by such an agreement, however precarious it may be, so as to bar her claim of dower.
It has, however, been suggested that, on the allegation by the petitioner of fraud in the marriage contract, this case should be sent to one of the courts of law, in order that the question may be tried by a jury. For what purpose should it be sent to a jury ? That another judge may sum up the testimony, and tell the jury what are the conclusions of law, upon the facts proved ? Or, is it because a jury is more competent to try the credit of a witness? This Court, it is presumed, can as competently make the proper conclusions upon the facts as the judge of another court; and, as the advantage of a viva voce examination can be had here, the credit of witnesses may be as completely and satisfactorily tried here as by a jury. Suppose it were sent to a jury; their finding would not conclude this Court? and more especially the Court having appellate jurisdiction. They must hear and decide for themselves. The Act of Assembly warrants no such proceeding. The intestate acts countenance no such course; and no instance ever has oceured of an issue being made up and sent to a jury by this Court. The petitioner has a right to insist on a decision of this Court; and it is the more important, as the petitioner's interest cannot extendbeyond her life,that no unnecessary delay should be interposed. With her life her claim ceases; and she ought not to be delayed by a new and extraordinary mode of proceeding; particularly as the Act of Assembly limits the Court to the like proceedings as in the eases of intestacy.
The principal difficulty has arisen on the plea of the respondents. By that an agreement made before marriage, for a collateral satisfaction, is set up to bar the petitioner. At common law, a jointure was no bar of dower; because no collateral satisfaction could bar a right or title of inheritance or freehold. Vernon’s case, 4 Co. Rep. 1 : Co. Lit. 363 : 2 Bac. Abr. 140, Dower. F. But now. by the Statute 27 H, 8. c 10. a jointure, made according to the Statute, is a bar. Though a collateral satisfaction is not pleadable at law, yet it may be a good bar in equity. Lawrence vs. Lawrence, 2 Vern. 365 : Co. Lit. 36, c, note (1) : Eq. Ca. Ab. 218 pl. 2 : Mundy vs. Mundy, 2 Ves. Jr. 122,129. And the cases in equity generally arise from some legal bar, or from some peculiar difficulty in prosecuting the claim at law. Curtis vs. Curtis, 2 Bro. Ch. Rep. 620, 630 :
No objection has been made to the plea upon this ground; and this being the first case of the kind, the question is whether the plea of an equitable bar should be received by this Court, supposing it to be available in equity. The question must depend upon the character of this Court and its mode of proceeding. In the Constitution, Article 6, Sec. 15, 1 Del. Laws, 42 : 3 Del. Laws 256, the equity jurisdiction of this Court is spoken of as the only jurisdiction of the Court; and in the Act for .establishing an Orphans’ Court, (1 Del. Laws, 87,) an appeal is given to the Governor for the time being, in equity. All the acts to be performed by this Court are of an equitable nature ; and the proceedings are by petition, summons, citation, attachment, imprisonment and sequestration —forms peculiar to a court of equity. The subject matter of the jurisdiction of this Court is such as properly belongs to a court of equity ; and no portion of it is such as belongs to a court of common law, unless it be the partition of the real estate of intestates among their heirs,as tenants in common, and the assignment of dower. The division of the real estate of intestates among their heirs, as tenants in common, is a peculiar case, and is not known at common law, unless among parceners. This authority was given to the Orphans’ Court very early, and has been so continued. The assignment ol dower in this case is to be made upon the petition of the widow, and in the same manner as is by law provided in the case of intestates’ estates; and the costs are to be paid by the parties according to their interest in the land. This Court, then, is a court of equity, as to all matters within its jurisdiction; and whatever is a bar, either at law or in equity, may be pleaded. The Act declares, that in all cases where the widow may be entitled to dower, the same may be assigned and laid off by this Court. If she is not entitled at law, or if there is any equitable bar, the Court cannot assign it. The Act seems to mean that the whole inquiry should be made by this Court, to ascertain that she has title before the dower can be assigned
Second. This, then, brings us to the question of the widow’s right, which depends upon the effect to be given to the marriage contract.
The contract, if fairly made, would certainly be binding on the petitioner. In Lawrence vs Lawrence, 2 Vern. 365, Lord Somers
The contract now under consideration is not such as a Court of Chancery would execute. The husband secreted the debts which both his real and personal estate were bound to satisfy. On the 8th September, 1818, the date of the contract and marriage, two writs of execution were issued at the suit of the President, Directors and Company of the Commercial Bank of Delaware, under which his goods and personal estate were all subsequently sold, without raising a sufficiency to pay his debts.
According to the. evidence, there is no proof that Mrs. Farrow had any notice of the debts. Mr. Farrow had a good deal of conversation with other persons about them ; but none of the witnesses bring a knowledge of them home to the wife. Nothing was said about them when the contract was executed nor at the time of the marriage, all which happened the same day. There is a total want of any evidence that she had been informed of his situation. It is evident that she must have expected something as an equivalent for
An order for the assignment of dower must be made.
See Dig. Del. Laws, (of -1829), 167.